The September Reason-Rupe national telephone poll of 1,006 Americans finds Americans may actually prefer Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform plan over President Obama’s when considering the costs and benefits of each plan.
When respondents are read the likely benefits and costs of both Paul Ryan’s and President Obama’s Medicare reforms, 61 percent of voters think out-of-pocket costs would increase for seniors as a result of Ryan’s plan and 51 percent think Obama’s plan would lead to shortages and less medical innovation. However, by a margin of 48 to 37 percent, voters prefer Medicare reforms built around giving seniors a credit to purchase health insurance over reforms like President Obama’s, which include a payment board to reduce payments to providers.