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CNN Live At Daybreak
America's Voice: Medicare Reform
Aired November 25, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Medicare, it may be an intricate topic, but it certainly is a hot button issue for many Americans. How hot?
Well, let's head live to Princeton, New Jersey, and Gallup headquarters. Here's Gallup Poll editor-in-chief, Frank Newport.
Good morning -- Frank.
FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
You were trying to explain the provisions of the bill, and I think that kind of exemplifies what we find in our data. Everybody likes the idea of prescription drug coverage, but I'm not sure that all of our polling is going to show that particularly seniors are all that excited about what passed, but it's going to be a couple of years before we know.
Just to set the stage for you, this was last June when we asked it, but do you favor or oppose a $400 billion Medicare plan with prescription drugs? About what we're about to get. Look at this: three-quarters of all Americans said, of course, they favor the plan. They'd like somebody to pay for their prescription drugs.
Older Americans who are currently on Medicare, they're a little more sensitive to this whole issue. This was the question. We said would you be angry if this plan is not passed? We just asked this. And why I wanted to show this to you is to say a lot of Americans say they would be angry. But notice those who are 65 and older are a little less likely to be angry.
And I think that shows up in some other polling that says that the devil's in the details. One poll that was out this week tried to explain the plan to people -- kind of like you did -- and got a much lower level of support for it once people tried to grapple with it.
So, we're going to see how this plays out over the years to come. It will be a while before people really figure out what they're going to get.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
NEWPORT: They like the idea, Carol.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Yes, they like the idea, but you're right. It is a tough one to understand.
I want to move on to the death penalty, because John Allen Muhammad, the D.C. sniper, this jury decided death for him. How do Americans feel about the death penalty these days?
NEWPORT: Well, it's down a little, but a clear majority supports the death penalty, and they have since the 1970s. In fact, the majority say the death penalty should be imposed more often rather than less often. This takes it back to the Depression when Gallup first started asking about it. The only time it was below 50 percent was in the '60s. Since then, it's been 70, and then 80 percent at one point.
Carol, our most recent asking has 64 percent of Americans say they support the death penalty, so I would suspect that the majority of Americans are comfortable -- if I can use that word -- with the decision the jury came up with in the case of John Allen Muhammad.
COSTELLO: All right, Frank Newport live from Gallup Poll headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. Many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired November 25, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Medicare, it may be an intricate topic, but it certainly is a hot button issue for many Americans. How hot?
Well, let's head live to Princeton, New Jersey, and Gallup headquarters. Here's Gallup Poll editor-in-chief, Frank Newport.
Good morning -- Frank.
FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
You were trying to explain the provisions of the bill, and I think that kind of exemplifies what we find in our data. Everybody likes the idea of prescription drug coverage, but I'm not sure that all of our polling is going to show that particularly seniors are all that excited about what passed, but it's going to be a couple of years before we know.
Just to set the stage for you, this was last June when we asked it, but do you favor or oppose a $400 billion Medicare plan with prescription drugs? About what we're about to get. Look at this: three-quarters of all Americans said, of course, they favor the plan. They'd like somebody to pay for their prescription drugs.
Older Americans who are currently on Medicare, they're a little more sensitive to this whole issue. This was the question. We said would you be angry if this plan is not passed? We just asked this. And why I wanted to show this to you is to say a lot of Americans say they would be angry. But notice those who are 65 and older are a little less likely to be angry.
And I think that shows up in some other polling that says that the devil's in the details. One poll that was out this week tried to explain the plan to people -- kind of like you did -- and got a much lower level of support for it once people tried to grapple with it.
So, we're going to see how this plays out over the years to come. It will be a while before people really figure out what they're going to get.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
NEWPORT: They like the idea, Carol.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Yes, they like the idea, but you're right. It is a tough one to understand.
I want to move on to the death penalty, because John Allen Muhammad, the D.C. sniper, this jury decided death for him. How do Americans feel about the death penalty these days?
NEWPORT: Well, it's down a little, but a clear majority supports the death penalty, and they have since the 1970s. In fact, the majority say the death penalty should be imposed more often rather than less often. This takes it back to the Depression when Gallup first started asking about it. The only time it was below 50 percent was in the '60s. Since then, it's been 70, and then 80 percent at one point.
Carol, our most recent asking has 64 percent of Americans say they support the death penalty, so I would suspect that the majority of Americans are comfortable -- if I can use that word -- with the decision the jury came up with in the case of John Allen Muhammad.
COSTELLO: All right, Frank Newport live from Gallup Poll headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. Many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
