Poll: Healthcare support under 50 percent

PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Public support for U.S. healthcare reform is below 50 percent, a Gallup poll released Wednesday indicates.

The poll found 46 percent of Americans say they would advise their member of Congress to vote for healthcare legislation, or would lean toward doing so, while 48 percent would advise a "no" vote, or lean in that direction. The results represented a bit of a rebound in support for healthcare reform, which had been at or above 50 percent in September and early October, but had slumped to 43 percent by early November.

The poll results come as President Barack Obama is trying to rally Democratic senators behind a compromise measure that does away with a "public option" favored by progressives.

Gallup said the views of Republican and Democratic poll respondents generally followed their respective parties' political leaders. Democratic identifiers overwhelmingly favor passing a healthcare bill, with 76 percent saying they would advise their member to vote for a bill, while Republicans opposed the healthcare legislation efforts by 83 percent to 13 percent.

The poll contacted 1,025 adults between Dec.11-13, and carried a margin of error of 4 percentage points.