Majority of Americans still want health care reform now, but fewer seeing benefits for themselves and the country

Ahead of the crucial Senate debate and vote late on Sunday/Monday morning (see separate story), the December Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found a dip on several measures of public opinion on health care reform. The number of Americans who say they personally will be better off if reform passes fell to 35% in December, down from 42% last month.

Meanwhile, 27% say they will be worse off, and 32% that they do not expect to see much of a difference. Similarly, 45 percent say the country would be better off if health care reform passes down from 54 percent in November. This compares to 31% who say the country will be worse off and 17% who see no impact. Public opinion in December looks more like it did in August, the last time this debate became so contentious, notes Kaiser.

Despite the dip on these measures, 54% of the public says that it is more important than ever to pursue health reform now, while 41% believe the country cannot afford it. Those proportions have remained fairly steady throughout the fall, though the gap between the majority who want reform now and those who don't tightened this month.

'Our poll shows that a majority of the public still supports action on health reform, but the more contentious and lengthy the debate, the more the public will get anxious about change,' said Kaiser president and chief executive Drew Altman.