New Poll: Health Care through Women's Eyes

Garrett Murch | November 03, 2009 3:25 PM

A new poll released Wednesday by the Independent Women's Forum shows that only 16% of women believe that health care should be Congress's top priority and that a majority (51%) is unsatisfied with what they have read, seen, or heard about the proposals being considered today. The poll, conducted by WomanTrend, surveyed 800 women registered to vote and was conducted between October 19-25, 2009.

Key Findings:

• Government is not the solution: 61% of women think the private sector does a better job of providing choice in health care.

• Change for thee, but not for me: 75% want few to no changes to their own healthcare (40% -- be modified, but mostly left as is; 35% -- be left as-is).

• No egg timers: 43% of women say that Congress and the President should enact healthcare reform "only when quality legislation is developed, even if it means there is no deadline." Less than three in ten think it needs to happen by the end of the year.

• Too expensive: Only 10% say that $1 trillion or more should be spent on health care reform. Most put the acceptable amounts in the thousands (16%), millions (24%), or billions (16%).

• Concerns with waste: 77% say government spends money in a mostly inefficient way and 55% believe CBO projections underestimate how much will ultimately be spent on health care reform.