Americans are warming up to the idea of a single payer health insurance system.
A Gallup poll of more than 1,500 U.S. adults turned up surprising support for single payer, the system Bernie Sanders has been advocating for years.
Gallup sought people's opinions on the health insurance options championed by the three remaining presidential candidates: Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump.
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The result? 58 percent say they prefer the single payer system. About 51 percent like Donald Trump's proposal to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). 48 percent want to keep the PPACA intact.
Yes, that does add up to more than 100 percent. Gallup gave folks more than one option; for instance, they could favor retention of PPACA, and at the same time replace it with single payer. More than a third went for that option, which suggests maybe there's a disconnect in understanding these options.
But that choice was common among those identifying as Democrats, with 59 percent choosing that combo. If they could only take one of the two options, two-thirds say they want federally funded single player plan.
Gallup noted that just a couple months ago, its survey on health care systems found that most folks supported a private system.
"Other surveys have also shown a growing trend in approval for so-called European-style government in America," Gallup said.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
