A strong majority of people support the idea of a government-run public insurance option to boost competition in Obamacare, a plan the Obama administration has said can ease competition problems on the law’s marketplaces.
About 70 percent are either strongly or somewhat in favor of a public option, according to a poll released Thursday by nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. However, that margin shrinks to 53 percent when the same survey respondents are asked if they favor creating a government-administered insurance option.
Another 41 percent oppose creating a government-run option, the poll said.
Kaiser added that some people’s opinion could shift as they learn more about the option. About 21 percent shifted their opinion from “favor” to “oppose” after hearing arguments “often made by opponents that doctors and hospitals would be paid less, and 27 percent shift to oppose after hearing that the government plan would have an unfair advantage over private insurers,” Kaiser said.
About one in 10 people change their position from “oppose” to “favor” after hearing the option can help drive down costs by increasing competition.
A public option was considered for the law when it was approved back in 2010, but it was scrapped due to lawmaker worries and opposition from the insurance industry.
Major insurers have decided to leave the law’s marketplaces after losing too much money, which has reduced competition under Obamacare. Major insurers Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealth all scaled back their presence in the marketplaces next year, in part due to losses from high claims costs.
The public remains divided over Obamacare in general. About 32 percent want it repealed and 31 percent want it expanded. About 18 percent say the law should be implemented as is and another 9 percent want it scaled back.
About 45 percent see the law favorably and the same percent see it as unfavorable, according to Kaiser.
The poll was released a few days after the administration announced that Obamacare plans on average will see a 25 percent price hike in 2017. It was a telephone survey of 1,205 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
