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Media ignore NYT poll that shows overwhelming public support for health care reform

June 22, 2009 9:57 am ET by Eric Boehlert

The cable and network news outlets were especially guilty of turning away from the A1 Times story on Sunday. The survey indicated a jaw-dropping 85 percent of Americans think "the health care system needed to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt." Seventy-two percent support a government-run system, and a solid majority would pay higher taxes to get the reform done. 

Yet despite the relentless discussion of the topic of health care on television Sunday, particularly the morning talk shows, the Times poll went largely unmentioned.

According to a search on TVeyes.com both NBC and Fox News (surprise!) never once mentioned the polling results on Sunday. On ABC, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC combined, the results were mentioned approximately one dozen times.

If the poll had showed 85 percent opposed government-run health care reform, what kind of coverage do you think the poll would have received? I'm pretty sure Fox News would have devoted an entire primetime hour to the findings.

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    • Author by eweston8542983 (June 22, 2009 10:07 am ET)
      4  
      With earlobe to earlobe smiles on. First in anticipation of the continuing largess from BigMed, maybe some grateful bonuses soon. Second, because they managed to sell it to the public. Meaning they are still useful to other power groups. Meaning the money will continue to pour in. To adjust the public against their own best interests. Such fun!
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    • Author by pros2pros2940 (June 22, 2009 10:24 am ET)
      3  
      Guess they don't want to upset one of their major advertisers :drug companies
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    • Author by pete592 (June 22, 2009 11:23 am ET)
      2  
      Damn that liberal media!!!
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    • Author by shaggles (June 22, 2009 2:06 pm ET)
         
      Of course. I think everybody pretty much already knew this. But congress will ignore it under pressure for the insurance lobby.
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      • Author by fishergirlusmc (June 22, 2009 2:30 pm ET)
        1 2
        Why would anyone care what the Times has to say? How come Media Matters is not taking them to task about keeping secret that one of their jounalists was being held captive to protect him? I remember the Bush Administration begging them not to report on certain intelligence stories for fear our soldiers would be put in harms way and possibly killed. But did they care about the lives of my soldiers ? NO. They have zero credibility and that's why they are going broke. Good Riddance.
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        • Author by fishergirlusmc (June 22, 2009 2:39 pm ET)
          1 2
          If 85% of the population has health insurance and 15% do not,why would we change the 85% to accomodate the 15%? That math just does not compute. Out of the 15% how many are under the age of 25 and feel they do not want to spend on health care? How many are children who would be covered by SCHIP? How many are illegal aliens ? The times numbers don't seem to make sense. How many were polled? What were the demographics?
          Also I heard today that people who have health insurance from their companies may have to pay tax but I understand that Union Members will be exempt, why is that? Shouldn't we all feel the pain together? Perhaps all the politicians can change THIER insurance first and really lead by example for once.
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          • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (June 22, 2009 4:53 pm ET)
            2  
            Could it be that a large portion of the 85% who have healthcare know they are paying way too much and not getting the care they deserve?

            Could it be?

            Could it be that a large portion of the 85% feel compassion toward the 50 million Americans--most from working families--who don't have healthcare?
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        • Author by solon (June 22, 2009 3:41 pm ET)
          3 1
          You really are brainwashed. You spew the talking points no matter how utterly ludicrous they are without any sense of how uninformed it shows you to be. The Bush administration begged the NYTimes to keep stories to themselves that would embarass the administration and just CALLED it a danger to troops. Those not mesmerized by the shiny object held up by the screechmonkeys that do your thinking for you were not fooled. The NYTimes is one of the worlds most influential newspapers. YOU have zero credibility. Those who would like to be informed care about what the Times has to say. Those like you so brainwashed they can no longer distinguish between the voices in their heads and the voice on the radio show over and over how little you know about what you are talking aboug and no one in their right minds care about what YOU have to say.
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          • Author by solon (June 22, 2009 3:45 pm ET)
            2  
            How about because 18,000 people a year DIE from lack of access to healthcare in the US. How about because half of all bankrupcies are healthcare related and half of THOSE people had healthcare when their health problems began? Those sound like good reasons to me.

            http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w5.63/DC1

            In 2001, 1.458 million American families filed for bankruptcy. To investigate medical contributors to bankruptcy, we surveyed 1,771 personal bankruptcy filers in five federal courts and subsequently completed in-depth interviews with 931 of them. About half cited medical causes, which indicates that 1.9–2.2 million Americans (filers plus dependents) experienced medical bankruptcy. Among those whose illnesses led to bankruptcy, out-of-pocket costs averaged $11,854 since the start of illness; 75.7 percent had insurance at the onset of illness. Medical debtors were 42 percent more likely than other debtors to experience lapses in coverage. Even middle-class insured families often fall prey to financial catastrophe when sick.
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            • Author by fishergirlusmc (June 22, 2009 4:42 pm ET)
              1 3
              You sadly sound like a very angry person solon. Why can't you have any conversation without resorting to name calling? Maybe 30 years ago the Times was the newspaper of record, but today they are going broke. They are losing readers by the tens of thousands and had to borrow money from a Mexican businessman at shylock rates. 18000 people die a year in this country from lack of health care? Do you have proof of that? Are they denied emergency coverage like from accidents in an emergency room? We have a hospital here in NY Kings county hospital which spends over 7 million a year treating the uninsured. Here in NY they use the emergency room as a doctors office. So please clarify these 18000 people.
              You also never addressed the Unions being exempt. What are these ludicrous talking points I'm suppossedly spewing? By the way I try to listen to ALL points of view. Peace to you.
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              • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (June 22, 2009 5:01 pm ET)
                2 1
                Ludicrous talking point #1 is that unions will be exempt. Where did you hear that crap? Rush Limbaugh? Michael Sewage?

                Please try to have some idea what you're talking about. Just spouting off what some right-wing gasbag on the radio pumps in your ear is not the way to go.

                You accidentally made a valid point. Though I doubt you realized it. All these folks showing up in emergency as a last resort drives up insurance costs for everyone. That's why we need a strong public option and a lot more people insured.
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              • Author by Blueneck (June 22, 2009 5:10 pm ET)
                2  
                18000

                From USA Today:
                http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10367

                Original report:
                Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late
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                • Author by fishergirlusmc (June 22, 2009 5:25 pm ET)
                  1 1
                  The union exemption was discussed on the news today was page three from Max Baucus D.MT that the unions would be grand fathered in and therefore exempt from paying taxes on their very generous health care plans.
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                  • Author by Craig (June 23, 2009 12:18 am ET)
                    1  
                    No, union members should not be exempt. Fortunately,

                    Such a tax, if adopted, would be phased in over "several years," Baucus said. And it would be likely to "grandfather" in health benefits set as part of a collective-bargaining agreement, he said, allowing union plans to remain tax-free until new contracts can be negotiated.
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                  • Author by Blueneck (June 23, 2009 4:53 am ET)
                    1 1
                    SOLON: "18,000 people a year DIE from lack of access to healthcare in the US".
                    FISHYTROLL: (with considerable indignation) "18000 people die a year in this country from lack of health care? Do you have proof of that?"
                    BLUENECK: responds by posting links to the requested proof.
                    FISHYTROLL: responds, "The union exemption was discussed on the news today was page three from Max Baucus D.MT".

                    Question: Have you tried Adderall, Concerta, Detxroamphetamine, Focalin, Methylphenidate, Ritalin, Strattera, or Vyvanse? One of them may help.
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                    • Author by diogenie27611 (June 23, 2009 11:42 am ET)
                        1
                      Question: Have you tried Adderall, Concerta, Detxroamphetamine, Focalin, Methylphenidate, Ritalin, Strattera, or Vyvanse?

                      Of course he hasn't. Thos drugs are expensive!!!!
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    • Author by Slinkie (June 22, 2009 6:14 pm ET)
      2 1
      I don't believe it went unnoticed the alleged liberal media chose to ignore it at the request of their neo-con owners to wit George Stepanophilis question to the democratic senator how doyou plan to do this with such stiff opposition out there? Let's see now the poll says 78% of us want government ran system and 57%are willing to see our taxes raised to accomplish it that don't like opposition to me to me just another neo con attempt to twist the facts don't ya think and Iam almost positive every right wing nut job out there bought the lie.
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      • Author by Martha (June 22, 2009 8:20 pm ET)
           
        I could not believe my eyes and ears as I watched this on Sunday morning!

        However, "the people" are NOT stupid. Everyone needs to rattle their representatives NOW.

        Let them know how YOU will vote if THEY do not represent you.
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        • Author by fishergirlusmc (June 23, 2009 10:05 am ET)
          1 1
          Blueneck,
          it sounds like you have a very hefty stash of drugs for your many obvious problems. I hope my hard earned tax dollars are helping you pay for them. Again if we are to add an additional 41 million people to the health care rolls how are we going to save money? I've heard not one word about tort reform, nor any kind of protections for pharmacudical companies who spend around 1 billion dollars developing drugs. Once the drug is on the market generics are made which is one of the reasons drugs are so expensive. Maybe we can pass some kind of copy right infringement like they do with record companies so the drug companies can recoup their r&d costs before the drugs are cloned.
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          • Author by Blueneck (June 23, 2009 11:22 am ET)
            1 1
            One word for you dear: FOCUS. Try to stay on topic and try to respond to the posts you intend to respond to in a coherent manner.
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    • Author by diogenie27611 (June 23, 2009 11:49 am ET)
         
      Unfortunately, it looks like evil will prevail yet again on this issue because too many legislators are in the pocket of the HMOs. Our current system is an utter joke that lacks even common sense legislation because the minute you try to do something to improve healthcare the trolls come out in droves to make sure it doesn't happen. Here's a simple idea. Allow people to sue HMOs for malpractice! Force HMO's to advertise EXACTLY how many times they deny payment! Create patient's Bill of Rights that allows patients to opt out of their HMO plan in favor of another HMO plan if the HMO denies coverage! The idea that this is a free market system is a complete friggin joke. We get service that we don't like and the best most people can do is complain to their human resources office. and the punchline: THAT'S IF YOU'RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE COVERAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!

      Any system that keeps HMOs without seriously hampering their power to deny needed coverage simply won't work.
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      • Author by zdataman (June 23, 2009 2:45 pm ET)
           
        It was not a surprise to me when Foxnews anchor Hannity, remarked (on air) that US citizens should resist any changes to the US health care system because it is the best in the world. Hey Hannity, it is not number 1, not number 9,not number 16 .... even though the US spends , by far, the most money on health it is rated number a pitiful thirty seven in the world by the world health organization.
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    • Author by LIBERTY OR DEATH (June 25, 2009 4:38 am ET)
        1
      Goverment run health care plan just another government bureaucracy we don,t need why do you think people from England and Canada come here. I am all for health care reform but keep the govement out of it.
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