Americans Barely Worry About the Health Care Deal

Health care problems do not sit high on the list of concerns of most Americans, even if the Supreme Court just upheld most of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The decision does not solve a “pocketbook” problem. Tens of millions of Americans have more important and immediate concerns.

A new Gallup poll shows that among those queried:

Six percent say healthcare is the top problem in June, behind mentions of the economy, jobs, the deficit, and problems in government.

Americans face an economy that no longer creates jobs at a rate of well over 200,000 a month. As a matter of fact, employment growth may be nearly stagnant, which national unemployment rates for June and July could show. The deficit remains a likely cause of an expiration of tax cuts at the end of the year, which will undermine the ability of businesses and consumers to spend money. Economists say they already see the effects of this as spending drops in anticipation of higher taxes. And the inability of Congress and the Administration to agree on budget measures could pull the tax cut trigger.

Americans do not seem to care about what is over the horizon when what is on this side of it is so awful.

Methodology: Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted June 7 to 10, 2012, with a random sample of 1,004 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Douglas A. McIntyre