Close watchers of U.S. polling numbers on health care reform are facing a challenge of interpretation. The latest numbers from the Gallup Poll show support for reform trending up slightly, now edging out the opposition -- but just barely. However, the latest look from the polling institute at Quinnipiac University shows supporters of the health reform plan total only 40% of those surveyed, against 47% who don't like the reform proposal.

A closer look at those new Quinnipiac numbers, though, shows that people tend to favor elements of the reform proposal, such as individual mandates and the so-called "public option." But it was when they were asked whether they supported President Barack Obama's health care reform plan that 47% said no, though far more people -- 47% to 31% -- believed Obama will do a better job on health care than the Republicans in Congress. Quinnipiac's results also suggested that more people thought the Democrats were attempting bipartisan cooperation than those who thought the Republicans were.

"They trust Obama more than congressional Republicans on health care," said Peter Brown, assistant director of Quinnipiac's polling center, in a statement. "Yet there is no groundswell of support of his health care plan itself."

But when the health care reform question was put to people by Gallup without reference to whose plan it was, 40% supported reform and 36% opposed it, with one in four people registering no opinion. The numbers are a reversal of September polling -- 40% opposing and 38% supporting.

A host of new polls have revealed that Americans may be less committed to health care reform than the Obama administration and congressional Democrats are. When asked by a Harris Interactive poll what the Obama administration should be focusing most on, health care reform or economic recovery, 71% said the economy. In a Rasmussen Reports telephone poll, 59% of those responding said they would be unwilling to pay more taxes to achieve universal health care. Rasmussen also asked, "Which is more important: tax cuts for the middle class or new spending for health care reform?" The survey reported 54% favored tax cuts compared with 33% who wanted more spending on health care.

The Quinnipiac poll had also demonstrated that people felt ongoing economic issues are more important than health care. When asked what is the most important problem facing America today, 42% answered the economy, with more than half of those specifying the unemployment problem. Just 18% identified health care as the chief concern. However, the gap between them has narrowed considerably since one year ago, when health care was at only 2% and the economy at a dominant 68%.

Three years ago, according to Quinnipiac's numbers, the economy and health care had been neck-and-neck in the single digits while the war in Iraq was considered the most significant issue by 31% of people. It's now at 7%.