Poll: Health reform resistance still high

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Americans remain resistant to President Obama's healthcare reform proposals but the opposition may be easing, a Washington Post-ABC News poll indicates.

Americans were almost equally split in their opinion of the Democrats' health-care initiative, with 46 percent in favor of the proposed changes and 48 percent opposed, results released Monday showed.

Respondents were tied 48 percent apiece on Obama's handling of the issue, with the percentage of respondents "strongly" behind the president rising to 32 percent since August, The Washington Post said.

Americans are fairly close -- 51 percent in favor and 47 percent against -- on the question of whether people should be required to have health insurance, the poll said.

On the public option in which a government-run insurance plan would compete with private insurers, 55 percent said they like the concept, the Post said.

If the public option is withdrawn, 50 percent of Americans said they support the rest of the proposed changes while 42 percent said they were opposed.

Fifty-three percent of respondents said government action in healthcare reform was critical while 44 percent said they though it did more harm than good.

The nationwide telephone survey was conducted Thursday through Saturday among 1,007 adults. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.