US Public's "Waning Interest in Health Reform"

The US public now considers crime and economic problems more pressing than health care reform, and the issue has sunk to the bottom of the campaign trail. Some experts feel this could jeopardize efforts to reach consensus on a compromise in Congress, but the reform's supporters say interest will be renewed when the issue comes to the Senate and House floors later this summer. Members of both parties see the danger both in backing a specific proposal and in not passing any measure at all.

Some experts blame President Clinton for the lull because he created a sense of urgency about the issue and then allowed opponents to frighten people into thinking that reform will cost too much or compromise care, so the public is now more confused about the link between the problems and the remedies.

One Democratic strategist said lower costs and better cover is a more compelling message than universal coverage as most people already have some cover, while the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has urged his candidates to frame health cover as a middle-class issue and depict Republicans as protectors of big business. Health cover will be the key to the elections, he said, and should reinforce party political/ economic messages that Democrats are on the side of the working class.