Most favor healthcare reform repeal

INDIANAPOLIS, April 14 (UPI) -- Some 58 percent of Americans favor repeal of healthcare reform, but about two-thirds say a public option is important, a U.S. survey indicates.

Dr. Aaron Carroll, director of Indiana University's Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research in Indianapolis, says the survey, conducted April 6-10, found 58 percent of U.S. adults -- 96 percent of Republicans, 10 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of Independents -- favor repealing the healthcare reform legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama.

Fifty-nine percent of those who are supportive of healthcare reform repeal rated the public option as important -- including 67 percent of all Republicans and 59 percent of all Independents, Carroll says.

Those ages 18-34 were most supportive of repealing the legislation at 70 percent, the survey says.

"Many have assumed that those advocating for repeal in polls wanted Congress to take no action on healthcare reform until the law was abolished. However, we find that 48 percent of Americans actually are supportive of Congress continuing to work on the healthcare system reforms as opposed to focusing on any other topic," Carroll says in a statement. "In fact, 51 percent of those who supported repealing the legislation also were in favor of Congress continuing to work on healthcare system reforms."

The survey of 600 people was designed and funded by the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research and conducted by Market Strategies International. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.