Providing health coverage to the uninsured is the most important health-related issue for presidential candidates to address among Democrats and Independents, while most Republicans say containing medical costs is most important, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll.
For the poll, Harris Interactive conducted an online survey of a nationwide cross section of 2,185 adults from Sept_10 to Sept_12. The survey sought to determine how much U.S. residents trust policymakers to develop solutions for improving and reforming health care.
According to the poll, 39% of U.S. adults trust Democrats “a great deal” or “to some extent” to develop good health care policies, compared with 26% of adults who trust Republicans. However, trust for both parties has declined since February, the poll found.
In addition, 69% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans believe the health care system would be better if health coverage was not linked directly to employers, according to the poll. Eighty-two percent of Democrats said it is the federal government’s responsibility to ensure coverage for U.S. residents, compared with 47% of Republicans and 66% of Independents.