[00:00:00] Jeremy Zogby: what we're going to look at, as you alluded to, are the wedge issues and the sleeper issues
[00:00:07] And boy, look at the stories of the mess, that is called the American Healthcare System.
[00:00:14] John Zogby: voters don't want Medicare. Unprotected. They don't want Medicaid unprotected and they don't want, I think it's 77%, want the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare unprotected.
[00:00:28] Jeremy Zogby: So I see that as something that has potential to perhaps go to the level of what immigration was,
[00:00:37]
[00:00:43]
[00:00:43] John Zogby: it is Friday, and that means it's a regular edition of our podcast, real polling in real time with Zogby. And we have some fresh data, about the issues that, we face today and perhaps a surprise or two.[00:01:00]
[00:01:00] How are you doing, Jer?
[00:01:01] Jeremy Zogby: I am doing great. How about you?
[00:01:03] John Zogby: I'm doing well and I'm, I wanna kick us off as to what we're doing. there is a tendency to do polling on, what are the top issues? What are the top two issues? then for the media and the debate to focus the top two issues and give it all the attention, give them all the video. So today, when we ask voters, it's patently clear. is either one or two. And the economy inflation, is number one or number two. obviously there's a lot of attention because there's a lot of anxiety both. But I am reminded of the campaign and election of 2008, where, as towards the very end [00:02:00] campaign, September, John McCain, the Republican, Barack Obama, the Democrat. The focus of attention, obviously was the economy because the rug was pulled out from under the economy. And we went into recession shortly after the stock market crashed, yet our polling at that time for Reuters and C-Span clearly showed that when we asked folks, what's the number one economy issue for you? Number one was healthcare. I. The affordability, lack of affordability of healthcare, and the fact that there were too many Americans who were not covered health insurance. Interestingly, no one really drilled down. Reuters did because it was in their poll. So that brings us to today. Immigration and the economy with good reason. But there was one issue that was in [00:03:00] a very solid third place that warrants our attention today, and that issue was healthcare. I. and the afford affordability and quality of healthcare, and I'm not sure it's getting the national attention, that it deserves. why don't you pick it up from there?
[00:03:21] 'cause you have some numbers to relate and, we'll follow with a discussion.
[00:03:27] Jeremy Zogby: Yeah, first I'll say that we always keep it, some pollsters have a list of 15, 16, 20, and I think that's, I think that's great. I've always liked to, to keep it at 10 to 12, because it just seems. That's about, really probably most voters are driven by 1, 2, 3, or four, maybe five at most.
[00:03:54] But we do the other five or six to see what can bubble to the surface. [00:04:00] And so what we're going to look at, as you alluded to, are the wedge issues and the sleeper issues and zeroing in, as you noticed or mentioned, inflation is number one, almost half of voters. Cited that as the, issue that drives them to vote, who they decide to vote for.
[00:04:23] And, immigration and the southern border came in at, almost exactly half the amount, 23%. And when we were polling throughout 2023 and 2024, typically only two, maybe three issues. Ever went above the 20 mark and it's two of them are the ones that I just cited. And, as you mentioned now for the first time in a long time, we're seeing health, I did a little twist on it because a couple months ago I [00:05:00] tried, health and, diseases and then this month I tried and when I did health and diseases, that was only about 10 or 11%, which is still significant.
[00:05:12] This time I did Americans Health and healthcare, and that's 21%. And then from there's a pretty significant drop off where the number four issue is trade in tariffs, which goes to 16%, and then down to, bill of Rights and Freedom of Speech 13% and Crime and Public Safety, which throughout 2024 was the number three issue.
[00:05:42] Is now at 11%. I suspect the voters who were driven by it now feel safer with Trump in office because the perception is he's taking care of that. We'll see in six months to a year. but it's important to note the [00:06:00] messaging that we're looking at Americans health and healthcare. And what that tells me is now that is now full fledged, that in the top three.
[00:06:11] That voters are concerned not only about the deterioration of their health, but the deterioration of the healthcare system. And boy, look at the stories of the mess, that is called the American Healthcare System. So I see that as something that has potential to perhaps go to the level of what immigration was, because that is like a.
[00:06:40] A basic sense of, standard of living, safety, if you will.
[00:06:46] John Zogby: There's so much going on here with that issue, and let's be fair and honest upfront, and I know that you'll totally agree. Every day are healed. this country every day. [00:07:00] There are miracles that happen because of quality healthcare and there are people who go home with satisfaction that they have been treated, By the same token, it is a major cause of anxiety, on a number of levels. There's systemic. issues. That means a lot of bureaucracy, a lot of building the cost of science, and things that need to be addressed because we're talking about a lot of waste. I. two, there is the lack of access, to good healthcare.
[00:07:41] I remember years ago there was a multi-part series in USA today and one of the series focused on Harris County. That's Houston. Houston has a city itself devoted to healthcare 150,000 employees, [00:08:00] About a third of the residents of Harris County had zero access to that healthcare excellence in Houston. back then it was a, lack of access to health insurance. Number three is the personal side, and that is that, more and more Americans have insurance than ever before. But the insurance, doesn't always cover, enough to satisfy patients, nor enough to satisfy professionals. And both sides end up, Dissatisfied and hospitals are on the verge of bankruptcy in too much debt because they can't afford the current system, can't afford to reform the current system. And, it's, very messy. it's, fascinating because as the [00:09:00] Care Act. Back in, 2010 passed only on a partisan vote and barely. And yet today we find that at our polling and see it in the polling of others. In fact, we had a question in this poll. voters don't want Medicare. Unprotected. They don't want Medicaid unprotected and they don't want, I think it's 77%, want the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare unprotected. they see the need for people to have coverage,
[00:09:39] yet there are still a lot of people falling through the cracks.
[00:09:42] Jeremy Zogby: Yeah. and, What, you say that speaks to me is the fact that this issue that we're, dissecting and analyzing is so all encompassing that it, it [00:10:00] pulls in so many different dimensions of what voters have to go through in their day-to-day lives. On, the, finance and debt side, on the actual health side, on the, side of the bureaucracy.
[00:10:15] And, even beyond. And that's why I think, I feel comfortable saying it sounds like you would agree, watch this issue
[00:10:25] there's an even other dynamic to it. And, I did a lot of polling on this and, have explored that, now there's the MAHA movement, which started out the nucleus of, which was the, I guess you would call it the medical freedom.
[00:10:43] The folks who were opposed to the mandates, the covid mandates. And then, as Trump won, that was rebranded to Maha and that brought in a lot of conservatives and independents, onto that [00:11:00] train and, expanded to healthy food. what's in the soil, what's in the water, what's in the air, and chronic diseases.
[00:11:11] So if you look at the fact that this Maha is actually now effectively a wing of the Republican party and has become mainstream, that's gonna be another driving force to, to health as a major issue. But as point out from the liberal and the democratic perspective, it's going to be ensuring greater coverage.
[00:11:34] And so this is gonna be a fascinating dynamic on both sides of the political spectrum. Across the aisle and I,
[00:11:44] John Zogby: see any reason why there cannot be consensus.
[00:11:47] Jeremy Zogby: yeah.
[00:11:47] John Zogby: this. We've asked for many years about healthy eating, about exercising, about healthcare, about staying healthy and [00:12:00] living a good lifestyle. And there is no partisanship there. You would expect, Years ago, I would expect, the typical healthcare, to be from Vermont, to live near Burlington when the reality is no, it's a Nebraska and, in every red state as well. This is a concern. Obviously, there are gonna be difficulties in approaches, but this as, we're discussing here, this has to be addressed.
[00:12:37] Just Barack Obama addressed it and now, 15 years later, efforts are viewed as heroic and. The Affordable Care Act is, embedded as much into our psyche as Medicare, Medicaid, social security, and so on. [00:13:00] but we have to be, we have to be focusing on our institutions and on our insurance as well have to.
[00:13:08] Jeremy Zogby: Yeah. And To your point, when we drill down to a political party, 27% of, Democrats, which is actually citing Americans health and healthcare as the number two issue, it's number two. inflation of course is number one, 41%, but watch, when we go to Republicans, 16% rate Americans health and, healthcare.
[00:13:39] Just as many 16% rate crime and public safety. And so those two are actually tied for the top three among Republican voters. And for independents, it's actually by a slight amount, 22% of them, it's their number two issue. And so there is great room for [00:14:00] convergence. Of course. We always have to just be concerned and, aware of, the forces of division.
[00:14:08] is the nature of politics and hopefully, there are some coalitions that can move beyond that.
[00:14:16] John Zogby: Yeah, hopefully, there was news just this week that Aetna, one of the largest, health insurers in the country and a major player in ensuring the previously uninsured under, the Affordable Care Act has pulled out of, or announced at least, that it's pulling out of, the Affordable Care Act.
[00:14:43] That's a horrible dent. that means that federal government is gonna have to go scrambling to find another insurance company or companies to, to provide health insurance federally subsidized. [00:15:00] Insurance for the uninsured. Yeah, this is messy and we're not even scraping, the surface the degree, this issue, but I'm glad that, we're talking about it and I'm hoping that this nation can have a discussion, town meetings, fact, leadership from the administration on the next steps. To ensure both quality and coverage for, tens of millions of Americans. And to those of you listening and watching, that we do a monthly poll and welcome, groups, organizations, even individuals, to, join in and to purchase questions at a very competitive, low price. So if you want to join our Omnibus survey, can go to our website .
[00:15:57] Okay. have a good [00:16:00] week.
[00:16:00] Jeremy Zogby: Have a good one.
[00:16:01]