Americans don’t know much about Romneycare — except that it’s very similar to Obamacare
(SOURCE: HARRIS INTERACTIVE)
Mitt Romney’s opponents in the Republican primary campaign haven’t gotten tired of reminding voters how similar the former governor’s health reforms in Massachusetts are to President Obama’s federal law (the White House is also fond of such reminders). A new Harris Interactive poll sheds some light on whether that message is getting through.
Most respondents had little idea about the content and aim of the Massachusetts law. Fewer than one-third knew it required Massachusetts residents to purchase health insurance; 22 percent knew that most Massachusetts residents have health insurance. On all four questions that Harris Interactive asked about components of the Massachusetts law — also including whether residents favored it and whether is has been successful -- about two-thirds of respondents said they were “not sure.”
There is one thing, however, that Americans do know about Massachusetts health reform: It’s awfully similar to the federal law passed last year. Sixty-two percent of poll respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “The Massachusetts healthcare bill is similar to the bill passed by Congress and signed by President Obama.” This was slightly more true for Democrats and independents than for Republicans, who were less likely to associate the two laws:
(SOURCE: HARRIS INTERACTIVE)
Voters don’t know how Massachusetts overhauled health reform. Previous polls have shown that Americans also don’t know much about how the federal law works. But they do know one thing: The two look a lot like each other.
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