Health Care Takes a Backseat on the Campaign Trail

Strategic Insights -

The issue of health care has taken a backseat on the campaign trail, with voters citing crime and the economy as more pressing concerns. Despite being a top priority for President Clinton, health care has become a low-lying issue for Democratic incumbents, with few publicly endorsing the President's embattled proposal. Even some physicians running for office have abandoned health care as their driving issue, instead focusing on safer topics like crime.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, exemplified this trend, spending her time on events related to the crime issue rather than health care. "Violence is the No. 1 issue in the state of California today," she said, highlighting the lack of public passion for health care. This absence of urgency poses a significant challenge for the White House, as it threatens to diminish President Clinton's ability to pressure lawmakers into meeting his demand for universal coverage and employer-paid health insurance.

Despite the lack of public enthusiasm, experts say President Clinton has only himself to blame for the current lull. By linking health care to national security, he created a sense of urgency, only to have opponents of his plan scare the public into thinking it would cost too much or compromise care. "Clinton squandered the salience of health care reform by his cockamamie nine-month task force," said Ted Marmor, a professor of public policy at Yale University.

As lawmakers return to Congress, the Democratic leadership will begin to weigh the merits of the four health care bills emerging from committees. However, the White House plans to step up its outside-Washington campaign to drum up public support for the President's proposal. Despite the challenges, some lawmakers remain optimistic that the issue will gain traction in the coming weeks.

Key Takeaways:

  • Health care has become a low-lying issue on the campaign trail, with few Democratic incumbents publicly endorsing President Clinton's proposal for universal coverage.
  • Voters cite crime and the economy as more pressing concerns, with Senator Dianne Feinstein highlighting the issue of violence as the top priority in California.
  • President Clinton's proposal has been criticized for creating a sense of urgency, only to have opponents scare the public into thinking it would cost too much or compromise care.
  • The White House plans to step up its outside-Washington campaign to drum up public support for the President's proposal.
  • Despite the challenges, some lawmakers remain optimistic that the issue will gain traction in the coming weeks.

Statistics:

  • 77% of Americans support guaranteed coverage for all (Gallup poll).
  • 52% of Americans say employers should pay either all or most of insurance premiums (Gallup poll).
  • 49% of Americans oppose the "Clinton" proposal, compared to 33% a year ago (Gallup poll).
  • The margin of sampling error for the Gallup poll was plus or minus three percentage points.
  • 1,019 adults were polled for the Gallup survey.

Sources:

  • "The New York Times"
  • Gallup poll (June 25-28, 1993)
  • Senator Dianne Feinstein's remarks at the San Bernardino County sheriff's office (July 2, 1993)
  • Ted Marmor, a professor of public policy at Yale University
  • Democratic National Committee's television advertisement
  • Capitol Hill newspaper reports