Washington Post Health Care Poll, October 1993 (ICPSR 6287)

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This special topic poll provides a continuing evaluation of President Bill Clinton's presidency with regard to his handling of the economy, foreign affairs, and the situation in Somalia, and also focuses on Clinton's health care plan. Respondents were asked about their own form of health insurance, the source of that coverage, and their level of knowledge concerning Clinton's health care plan. Items assessing Clinton's proposal for health care focused on respondents' approval of the plan, whether the plan was better than the present system, and whether respondents would support an increase in taxes to help pay for Clinton's health care plan. Respondents were also queried regarding what they thought the effect of Clinton's plan would be on how much they paid for health insurance, the effect of the plan on health insurance coverage and the quality of health care, whether Congress should pass Clinton's plan, and whether the plan created too much government involvement in the nation's health care system. Items assessing respondents' grasp of the details of Clinton's plan dealt with contingencies such as whether switching doctors, hospitals, or insurance companies would be necessary under the new plan, whether all the costs of health insurance for workers and their families would be covered under the new plan, whether people who lost or quit their jobs would also lose their coverage under the new plan, the effect of the plan on people who were on welfare and people who were not working, and whether going to the doctor or hospital would involve filling out more paperwork under the new plan. Respondents were also asked for their opinions about Clinton's plan for a health security card, whether they were concerned about various potential repercussions of the health care plan, including increased government bureaucracy, a decline in the quality of medical care, limited choice of doctors or hospitals, or increased taxes to pay for the plan, and whether they thought Clinton's plan would help or hurt various constituencies such as doctors, small businesses, insurance companies, and retired people. Additional survey items covered whether the Clinton administration had a complete plan for health care reform, whether Clinton had described all the important features of the plan to the public, and whether people such as Hillary Clinton, Newt Gingrich, or Robert Dole, among others, had influenced how respondents thought about the health care plan. Background information on respondents includes political party, voter registration status, most recent presidential vote choice, political orientation, education, age, religion, marital status, labor union membership, employment status, Hispanic origin, household income, and sex.

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