Poll: Americans want health-care bill, but not cost

WASHINGTON -- Most Americans want a big health care bill passed this year, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, but they are less enthusiastic about paying for it.

And while a majority of respondents say controlling costs should be the legislation's top goal, more than 9 in 10 oppose limits on getting whatever tests or treatments they and their doctor think are necessary.

The findings underscore the difficult path ahead for the White House and Congress as the health care debate enters crunch time. President Obama, who has called for the House and Senate to pass bills within the next few weeks, was meeting Monday afternoon with two key congressional chairmen to try to hammer out financing for the $1 trillion-plus legislation.

"For those naysayers and cynics who think that this is not going to happen, don't bet against us," Obama said earlier in the day as he announced the appointment of Regina Benjamin as U.S. surgeon general. "We are going to make this thing happen because the American people desperately need it."

One advantage for the president: A third of those surveyed say they trust him and congressional Democrats most when it comes to changing health care, compared to 10% who choose congressional Republicans. A plurality, 45%, say they trust doctors and hospitals the most. Just 4% choose insurance companies.

The poll of 3,026 adults, surveyed Friday through Sunday by landline and cellphone, has a margin of error of +/— 2 percentage points. Some of the questions, asked of half the sample, have an error margin of +/— 3 points.

By 56%-33%, those surveyed endorse the idea of enacting major health care reform this year. Half call it extremely or very important to them personally; just 1 in 4 say it's not important.

Ask about proposals to help pay the costs, though, and there are sharper divisions — and potential openings for critics who may oppose the final bill.

Six of 10 favor the idea of requiring employers to provide health insurance to their workers or pay a fee to the government instead. The idea of increasing income taxes on upper-income Americans, an approach backed by House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, is backed by 58%. Just over half support taxing sugary soft drinks.