Poll: Americans Skittish Over Health Changes; But Most Trust President Over GOP On Issue

WASHINGTON -- Americans are increasingly worried about the cost and quality of medical care that could result from President Obama's effort to revamp health care, but a majority still trust him more than Republicans to change the system, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows.

The poll, which comes as Senate leaders are crafting a bill for a critical floor vote, finds that people who fear their costs would increase under the measure jumped 7 percentage points since last month, to 49%. There were similar increases among those who believe that both quality of health care and insurance company red tape will get worse if legislation passes.

The findings underscore the skepticism Obama and other Democrats face as they work on key details of their health care plan. One-third of those polled say they expect to oppose the final bill, one-fourth say they would support it, and 39% are undecided.

"It will drive up premiums for people, and it will cost a lot of money," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. "The criticisms people have of it and their inability to see it benefiting them, I think, are all true."

Yet Obama and Democrats in Congress command significantly more confidence than Republicans on the issue. More than half of Americans say they trust the president to change the system, compared with 37% expressing the same for congressional Republicans.

Maintaining that trust will be critical as lawmakers wade through a messy process of merging various versions of health care legislation, settling on key details such as financing and securing enough support to pass measures during floor votes.

"If you have the trust then people are going to listen to what you have to say," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. "What we need to do is to talk to middle-class people ... about how we're going to lower costs and make them more secure."

Menendez and Kyl sit on the Senate Finance Committee, which voted 14-9 this month to approve an $829 billion, 10-year health care bill that would expand insurance coverage to 29 million people who wouldn't otherwise have it. That bill is now being combined with another measure approved in July by the Senate health committee.

The poll also found:

*Half of Americans polled support a government-run public insurance plan to compete with private insurance companies, compared with 46% who do not. The controversial measure is not in the Finance Committee bill but it is in four other bills.

*Six in 10 oppose a proposed tax on high-priced, "Cadillac" insurance plans included in the Finance Committee's bill. But 59% support an income surtax on high-wage earners being pushed by House Democrats.

*More than one-third said Democrats and Republicans negotiated in good faith on health care but couldn't reach an agreement, compared with 30% who said they believe neither side was willing to compromise. Two in 10 blame Republicans and 11% blame Democrats for being unwilling to negotiate.

Only one Republican senator, Olympia Snowe of Maine, has voted for a version of the bill.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Senate's health committee, said the mood of the country "ought to give Democrats a shot in the arm to get this job done."

The Friday-Monday survey of 1,521 adults has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.

GRAPHIC: GRAPHIC, B/W, Julie Snider, USA TODAY, Source: USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,521 adults Friday through Monday. Margin of error ±3 percentage points. (Bar graph)