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An interesting piece by Nate Silver on health care and polling.

A new survey by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates for the AARP reveals widespread uncertainty about the nature of the “public option” — a government-run health insurance policy that would be offered along with private policies in the newly-created health insurance exchanges. Just 37 percent of the poll’s respondents correctly identified the public option from a list of three choices provided to them.

The question:

When politicians talk about including a “public option” in healthcare reform, what do you think they mean?

1. Creating a government funded insurance company that competes with existing private insurers to offer health coverage at market prices. (RESPONSE: 37%)

2. Creating a national healthcare system like the on they have in Great Britain. (RESPONSE: 26%)

3. Creating a network of healthcare cooperatives. (RESPONSE: 13%)

4. Don’t know. (RESPONSE: 23%)

It is tempting to attribute these results to attempts by conservatives to blur the distinctions of the health care debate. And surely that is part of the story. But it may not be all that much of it. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to correctly identify the public option in this poll, but not by all that wide a margin — 41 percent versus 34 percent. Meanwhile, 35 percent of Republicans thought the public option refers to “creating a national healthcare system like they have in Great Britain” — but so did 23 percent of Democrats.

This poll is dubious in that it was conducted over the internet which is the least reliable method used in polling.  Or as Silver puts it, “this poll belongs in the crap pile.”  Ok but it does serve as a reminder that if health care reform is to happen, the message needs to be articulated in a clearer fashion which, of course, is easier said than done.

Somewhere above the noise lies reason and truth.  People just need to hear it.

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