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AARP: Poll shows members support health care reform

Posted Nov 16, 2009 by William March

Updated Nov 16, 2009 at 06:06 PM

The AARP says a poll it did of its members nationally and in Florida shows they support the health care reform bill passed by the U.S. House.

AARP has sustained criticism for backing the move for health care reform, but AARP officials said in a conference call today that the poll shows they’re in sync with most of their membership on the issue.

Among national respondents, 63 percent said they supported the health care plan either “strongly” or “somewhat”; 66 percent of Florida respondents did.

Before being asked whether they support the plan, respondents were read a list of statements about the health care plan which AARP officials said described its major policy elements.

Most were about positive effects of the plan:

—“It would ensure that people can see the doctor of their choice.”
—“It would prevent insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.”
—“It protects Medicare benefits for seniors.”

Pollsters say questions or statements at the beginning of a polling questionnaire can influence respondents’ answers to later questions. But the AARP officials said those statements didn’t bias the poll, because they also included some that conservatives would be likely to oppose, including:

—“It would require everyone to have some form of health insurance, with subsidies for those who can’t afford it.”
—“It would provide people a choice of affordable private insurance options and a public plan administered by the federal government if
they don’t have health insurance or can’t afford it.
—“It would be paid for in part by a tax on married couples who earn at least $1 million a year or individuals who earn at least $500,000 per
year.”

The Washington Post recently reported that 40,000 to 60,000 of AARP’s nearly 40 million members had quit the organization because of objections to its stance on health care reform, but AARP officials have been widely quoted as saying opponents were distorting the contents of the legislation.

AARP claims about 3 million members in Florida.