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Americans are concerned about the hidden costs of healthcare legislation. The doubters of the bill include Democrats in the Senate.

When 1502 adults were polled from October 29 to November 8, forty-three percent said they do not like the healthcare reform that is being proposed by Congress. Forty-one percent said they support the proposal and 15 percent are still undecided on the issue. Even though the margins seem close, the opponents of healthcare reform seem to have much stronger opinions than do the supporters.  Poll results varied based on the amount of information that was included in the questions. The more broad questions seemed to lend support For President Obama;s plan. When questions included details of the plan, the opposition grew. One example of this is the question of a ban on denial of coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition.

The question alone draws 82 percent support. When the AP poll participants were told the ban would probably cause most people to pay more for health insurance, 43 percent said they would still support doing away with pre-existing condition denials, but 31 percent said they would oppose it. Antoinette Gates of Atlanta understands that costs for those with coverage would go up because people in poor health will be included in the insurance pool. "I'm thinking we'd probably pay more because we would probably be paying for those that are not paying. So they got to get the money from somewhere. Basically I see our taxes going up," Gates said.  Pre-existing conditions are not the only cause for increased costs. By limiting the premiums that insurance companies can charge 50-year-olds means that 20-year-olds will have to pay more for coverage. Another significant finding in this AP poll suggests the American public is becoming more attuned to the fact that with healthcare reform, the details matter.

When asked if everyone should be required to have at least some health insurance, or face federal penalty, 64 percent said they were opposed to the mandate and 28 percent agreed with it. When poll participants were asked if fines should be used to enforce medium and large sized companies to provide health insurance for their employees 52 percent agreed. The House Bill and the Senate Bill would require all Americans to get health insurance from an employer, a private policy or from the government. Middle-class and low-income households will be provided with government subsidies to off-set the costs. House Democrats came together earlier this month to pass their version of healthcare reform. The Senate faces more challenges as Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) prepares to take his legislation to the floor.

Source: Examiner.com

You can discuss more about Healthcare Reform and related topics in our Healthcare Reform Group.