Latest news
In the Wake of Republican Victory in Congress, Repealing the Health Care Reform Law is a Leading Topic of Debate Among Americans
NORWALK, Connecticut, USA (December 6, 2010) – Americans remain deeply divided over the nation's new health-care reform package, with 40 percent of adults wanting to repeal all or most of the legislation while 31 percent favor keeping all or most of the reforms.
Another 29 percent aren't sure what should be done.
Those are several key findings in a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll released today.
The conflicting views reflect divisions in Congress, where Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives in January following election gains at the polls last month. Many GOP representatives have pledged to dismantle—or, at the very least, curtail—the controversial legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama in March.
But the poll also uncovered an intriguing paradox: Many of those who want the health-reform law repealed favor keeping many of its key components.
Specifically, nearly two-thirds of poll respondents like that the law prevents insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Sixty percent want to keep the provision of tax credits for small businesses that provide their employees with health insurance. While just over half support the law for allowing children to remain on their parents insurance until they are 26.
The poll released today surveyed 2,019 adults online between November 19-23, 2010 by Harris Interactive, one of the world's leading custom market research firms, and HealthDay, a leading producer and syndicator of health news.
"Additional poll results indicate that many Americans want to repeal the bill not because they dislike the specifics, but because they feel it is an expensive expansion of an already big government," said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive's long-running public opinion poll. He continues, "81% believe it will it result in higher taxes, could lead to rationing of health care (74%), and reduce the quality of care they will receive (77%)."
Perhaps part of the explanation for this paradox was seen in a previous HealthDay/Harris Interactive poll which discovered that Americans have little knowledge of the specifics of the more than 2,500-page law. "There's a substantial gap in the general public understanding [but] the more informed people are, the more they understand," said Thomas R. Oliver, professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison.
"I think this suggests that as the public becomes more familiar with the law and how it will benefit them and their families, support will probably climb," said Sara Collins, vice president for Affordable Health Insurance at The Commonwealth Fund. She continues, "There's just a lag while immediate provisions are rolling out like young adult coverage."
The complete findings of the newest joint Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll are available here. HealthDay's news report is available here. Full data on the poll and its methodology are available at Harris Interactive.
###
About HealthDay
HealthDay, a division of Scout News LLC, is a leading producer and syndicator of evidence-based health news for consumers and physicians and is the largest syndicator of that news to Internet sites. Its consumer health news service (www.healthday.com) appears on more than 5,000 Web sites such as Yahoo!, MSN, iVillage, US News & World Report, hundreds of hospitals and hospital group Web sites, as well as print publication Web sites across the country. HealthDay also produces Physician's Briefing (www.physiciansbriefing.com); a news service for physicians, nurses and other medical professionals that is updated twice daily providing 15 articles a day across 32 medical specialties. HealthDay also provides custom content for major health portals. The newest addition to the HealthDay portfolio is HealthDay TV -- a 90-second news broadcast of essential health information that appears on several major media Web sites, US government Web sites and other health information sites.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
HealthDay launched our streaming news service, HD Live!, having noticed that health audiences now demand a mix of text and multimedia content.
HealthDay Correspondent Mabel Jong discusses topical health issues with the experts in their field. HD Live! offers excellent insight into the critical thinking behind public health administration, and also goes behind the scenes of the latest scientific research.
What is HD Live!
<p>In 2020, HealthDay launched our live streaming news service called HD Live!, having noticed that health audiences now demand a mix of text and multimedia content. </p><p>Twice a month, award-winning HealthDay journalist Mabel Jong - a former news anchor and correspondent with CNBC, NBC News and ABC News - discusses topical health issues with experts in that field.</p><p>HD Live! offers excellent insight into the critical thinking behind public health administration, and also goes behind the scenes in terms of the latest scientific research.</p>Why Do Leading Medical Media and Hospitals Use HD Live!
<p>"Streaming" is one of the hottest areas in media today. HealthDay's HD Live! service enables our users to provide live streaming programing to their social media or website without having to do any production or technical integration on their own. Our HD Live! sessions can be pushed to the destination of your choice. You sign up and we take care of the live stream from there. </p>How it is Delivered
<p>Our live streams are delivered through our broadcast platform directly to your destination. In certain cases this may require minor settings involving RTMP, but for most social media destinations all that is necessary is that you provide access. We are also able to deliver the recorded streams as an mp4 file.</p>The stories contain step-by-step guides to diseases and conditions, ranging from how a baby develops and grows, to memory care for Alzheimer's patients. Resources include information on disease and condition management, prevention and self-care, when to consult a physician, what to ask the physician and educational quizzes to test knowledge and track symptom progression.
What is HealthDay’s Wellness Library?
<p>HealthDay's Wellness Library is a collection of more than 1,500 original encyclopedic health and medical articles. The reference-style library features informative articles, special reports, first-person essays, quizzes and much more. Arranged into 42 topic centers ranging from Alzheimer's to Women's Health, the Wellness Library offers "what you need to know" content on a wide variety of topics.</p><p>The stories contain step-by-step guides to diseases and conditions, ranging from how a baby develops and grows, to memory care for Alzheimer's patients. Resources include information on disease and condition management, prevention and self-care, when to consult a physician, what to ask the physician and educational quizzes to test knowledge and track symptom progression.</p>Why Do Leading Medical Media and Hospitals Use the Wellness Library?
<p>While large research hospitals may have ample resources to create their own health and wellness libraries, regional hospitals and health facilities such as Citrus Valley Health Partners, Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana and Northern Hospital of Surry County know they need to provide basic patient education as part of their service. They turn to HealthDay's Wellness Library as a turn-key solution for a fraction the cost of making it themselves. HealthDay even takes care of reviewing and updating the content annually to ensure it stays up to date.</p><p>This deep and focused body of easy-to-understand and informative content is an excellent reference tool for engaging clients. Because of the highly granular nature of the content, clients find exactly what they are interested in reading, thus reducing bounce rates. The Wellness Library is also an excellent range of content from an SEO client acquisition standpoint.</p><p>Clients whose business model depends upon client behavioral change, such as wellness platforms, leverage this content to educate and inspire clients. </p>How is it Delivered?
<p>Because of the encyclopedic nature of the Wellness Library, delivery could not be easier. The content can be delivered as an XML file, via API, or through HealthDay's EZ-Post javascript widget, which is simply plugged into your page.</p>HealthDay Living is an extensive library of high quality Mp4 health and wellness videos, each 60-75 seconds in length. Videos are categorized into 6 main subject areas: Diet and Fitness, Health & Wellness, Nutritious Foods, Healthy Recipes, Beauty Tips and Personal Relationships.