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August 28, 2007 (Printable version)
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Wispolitics.com missed the mark on Healthy Wisconsin survey
By Jack E. Lohman
A recent survey by Wispolitics.com asked 400 Wisconsin residents about their support for Healthy Wisconsin and received far less public support than other surveys have found and logic would dictate.
Two issues are critical in accessing these results. First, the question put to the 400 came nowhere near providing all of the information needed for a respondent to properly evaluate the benefits of the program and give an educated answer, and secondly, if truly random it must have asked many people who were uninformed on the bill's effect on both the public and the state's businesses.
Here is the brief question Wispolitics asked:
"Democrats in the state Senate are promoting a state universal health care plan for individuals and businesses they say would give Wisconsin citizens the same coverage enjoyed by legislators in addition to spurring new jobs. They also say current employer and employee health care costs would fall by more than $2 billion in the first year alone under the plan, called Healthy Wisconsin. But opponents say the government-run plan, to be funded by $15.2 billion in new taxes, would kill jobs and small businesses while limiting consumer choice and slowing delivery of certain medical procedures."
But this misses the point. If you want honest answers you have to ask honest questions, and there are far too many pieces that were lost due to the brevity of the question:
- It fails to point out that HW would give Wisconsinites the ability to choose the health care networks and doctors they want, even independent of what employers or other family members choose.
- It fails to point out that HW would allow Wisconsinites to stay with the health care networks and doctors they've chosen, even if they change jobs or become unemployed.
- It fails to point out that HW provides health care coverage regardless of an individual's health conditions. No issues of pre-existing disease, denials or cancellations.
- It fails to point out that most families would save money.
- It fails to point out that private employers who currently provide insurance would, as a group, save money
- It fails to mention that HW would result in a property tax cut of $680 million, probably the largest in Wisconsin's history, because the state and local governments together would save over $1 billion in healthcare costs.
- It asserts that this is a "government-run" plan. That biases readers that don't like government, even though in this case government only collects the funds and disperses to the privately-run hospitals and physicians clinics.
- In mentioning the $15.2 billion in new taxes, it fails to mention that the $17 billion saved by employers through the elimination of employee insurance benefits would be higher.
- It fails to mention that HW would likely encourage the formation of new businesses, or business expansion, in Wisconsin.
- It fails to mention that HW will in fact increase consumer choice for most Wisconsinites--giving them an annual choice among competing health care networks as well as a choice of a FFS option that most people today currently do not enjoy.
- It fails to mention anything about HW's emphasis on prevention, primary care, and chronic care management.
- It fails to mention anything about HW's emphasis on quality and its additional coverage for limited dental, vision, mental parity and prescription drug costs.
We can do better. I would have preferred a more thorough disclosure of the bill's contents before asking the question. For example:
Democrats in the state Senate are promoting a universal health care plan, called Healthy Wisconsin. It would give every resident the same coverage enjoyed by legislators, in addition to spurring new jobs, and it would do it for the same healthcare dollars we are spending today.
Supporters say current employer health care costs would fall from $17 billion to $15 billion, a $2 billion savings in the first year alone. It would entail a 10.5% tax on wages but in turn would eliminate the 15% of wages that most employers currently pay for employee insurance. Opponents are calling this a "new" $15 billion tax without disclosing the $17 billion savings.
Of the savings, $1.2 billion would be in the state's own healthcares costs, half of which will be returned to the taxpayers in property tax relief.
Opponents claim that it would kill jobs in small businesses, but supporters say that HW would add 13,000 new jobs, and possibly more.
Opponents say this is a government-run plan, but supporters say that the only government involvement is collecting the taxes and turning them over to a non-partisan board for administering the plan. Hospitals and doctors would remain private and independent, just as they are today.
Opponents claim it will limit consumer choice, but supporters say it will actually expand choice because people would not be locked into an employer-sponsored plan or a family selection. They could independently select a health care network or fee-for-service provider.
Given what you know about the Healthy Wisconsin plan, would you favor or oppose the plan?
Okay, so my questions tilt it in the opposite direction by adding the facts you should know before answering a question that was originally tilted it in the opposite direction because of its brevity.
So, now that we have had our chance to educate the focus group, let's reset to zero and try this survey again.
-- Lohman is a retired business owner from Colgate and is a founding member of www.BusinessCoalition.net. He authored "Politicians - Owned and Operated by Corporate America" and can be reached at jelohman@gmail.com.
Resource: See the Healthy Wisconsin synopsis HERE