10/24/07 - Arlene Thorne from Port Chester says, "The health system doesn't work. There's nothing more to say about it.''

Democrats Have Advantage on Health, Boosting Clinton, Poll Says

Source: Bloomberg

Democrats enjoy a big political advantage over Republicans on health care, a year before a U.S. election in which it's going to be a major issue.

Americans, by a more than 2-to-1 margin, say Democratic presidential candidates have better overall solutions to health- care questions than do Republicans, according to a new Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll.

Presidential candidates of both parties have placed the issue at the top of their agendas amid growing voter concern about health costs -- rising at about double the annual rate of wages -- and the 47 million people who lack insurance.

Americans also back Democrats when presented with specific plans to deal with these issues: Just over half those surveyed say they favor requiring everyone to buy insurance; barring insurers from turning people down or charging extra for medical reasons; and subsidizing those who can't afford coverage. Those proposals have been offered by Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards. .......

... ``You might not be able to get another job that offered benefits and it can be more expensive to get on your own,'' said Arlene Thorne, 53, from Port Chester, New York, who works as an administrator for a company and has a household income of more than $100,000. ``The health system doesn't work. There's nothing more to say about it.'' .....