Polling Shows People as Happy with Public Insurance as Private

As Congress prepares to return to work on health reform legislation that may push a public insurer option, new polling shows that people are basically as happy with public health care programs as with private insurance plans. A Gallup analysis demonstrates 74% of people using Medicare and Medicaid rate their health coverage positively compared with 75% of those with private plans.

The distinction between private insurance and public coverage is at the center of the congressional debate over reform. Initial Democratic proposals included the establishment of a government-run insurer to compete with private companies. Critics have slammed the idea of the government operating an insurer, though Medicare is a generally popular government program.

Those numbers have remained steady in recent years as Gallup's annual health care polling shows consistency: Three in four Americans are satisfied with their coverage, whether it's public or private.

However, among non-seniors, there was more of a gap in satisfaction between public and private plans. Younger people -- who would represent the bulk of those affected by reforms -- tended to be more satisfied with private insurance, according to Gallup's numbers.

Another firm, the Harris Poll, suggests Congress shouldn't count on the support of the public for whatever the lawmakers are doing. A new survey showed the denizens of Capitol Hill are at their lowest level of approval since late 2008, with just 22% of people giving Congress a positive rating for the overall job it's doing. In surveying party-specific sentiment, just 21% thought Democratic members were doing well. But the Harris numbers were even worse for Republicans, showing a 12% approval rating.

The woman who was actually the public face of unsuccessful health reform efforts in the 1990s, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is actually among the few officials in the federal government enjoying a majority of positive approval in this recent polling -- 51%.