New Research Commissioned by CodeBlueNow! Finds Surprising Agreement on Health Care Reform

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 3, 2008 - Conventional wisdom has been turned upside down by new research that finds significant common ground instead of bitter partisan divisiveness when it comes to health care reform.

The research also indicates that Independents and Moderates from both parties are the key that can unlock the stalemate. 

This new research was conducted by the Gilmore Research Group in Seattle, WA, commissioned by the national, nonpartisan, nonprofit health care reform group CodeBlueNow!.

Republicans, Democrats and Independents typically think very differently about many issues. But when it comes to health care, widespread agreement exists among all voters on key issues including:

-- Universal coverage

-- Basic benefit package

-- Support of preventive care over high-tech cures

-- Health care as a shared responsibility of employer, individual and government

There was also universal agreement that a basic benefit package should include many licensed health care professionals, not just medical doctors. Ironically, none of the current candidate proposals would gain support from the public because the proposals don't address concerns across party lines or the concerns of Independents.

The research looked at two very different "Red and Blue" states, Iowa and Washington, and the data reveals they are mirror images of the other. "The level of agreement we see between voters in Iowa and Washington, and the relatively low level of 'neutral' or 'don't know' responses to specific questions suggests that health care is an issue voters have pondered for some time. They are keenly aware of how a decade of rapidly rising healthcare costs has impacted access to care for themselves, friends, family members, and for the community as a whole. They have had the opportunity to form thoughtful opinions about what does and does not work in our healthcare system today," indicates Carol Ambruso, Vice President of the Gilmore Research Group.

The research finds strong aggregate agreement on key issues -- including universal coverage. While there are some party differences, 70% of the Independents in Washington and Iowa agree on the need for universal coverage, strongly siding with the Democrats on this issue.

Kathleen O'Connor, Founder and CEO of CodeBlueNow!, says the findings about Independents are particularly interesting in this election year, because Independents are seen as a key voting group for the presidential candidates.

"The key is Independents. They shift back and forth between Republicans and Democrats depending on the issue. This means we have the chance to have a safe, problem-solving conversation that won't explode in our faces. We Americans have more in common than we are told. We shine as a people when we toss aside party lines and focus on solving a problem."

Former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson (R) one of four former governors on the CodeBlueNow! Honorary Board notes, "Given this concurrence on some core values, and the swings between the parties, we believe it is time and more than possible to shape a nonpartisan vision and create a Voters' Health Care Platform that the majority of Americans can and would support. This data is the beginning of a solid foundation for reform. It also offers hope that our opinions are not as rigid as current party platforms suggest. The truth shown here is that neither party will succeed without the other or without the Independents."

Governor Richard Lamm (D-CO), also on the Honorary Board, concurs. "There is no yellow brick road to health care reform. Many hard decisions lie ahead about the delivery system, coverage, cost containment measures, and more. But, if the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step, then we have at least found that the first step will not be on a land mine. The possibility of real forward movement for reform that cuts across party lines exists. It is the lack of political courage -- not lack of public support -- that keeps America from Universal Coverage."

For the full report see: http://www.codebluenow.org/the-pulse/washington-state-results-new.

CodeBlueNow! is working with other civic, non partisan organizations to survey their members. "History has shown that when you tap into the ingenuity of the American public, we can solve incredible problems -- from building our interstate highway system to going to the moon, and fighting a war on two fronts in WWII. We can do great things when we set our minds to it. Determined people drive big changes -- from our Founding Fathers to the civil rights and women's rights movements. We the people have a proud history of taking charge when our leaders have failed to address deep inequities," O'Connor stresses.

The CodeBlueNow! Pulse was conducted in Iowa and Washington states by a market research group, not a political polling group, Gilmore Research Group. The poll surveyed 601 people in Iowa and 600 in Washington and has a 3-4% margin of error.

About CodeBlueNow!

CodeBlueNow! is a nonpartisan, national grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to finding common ground and building consensus on health care reform to create a Voters' Health Care Platform that state and federal officials cannot ignore. www.codebluenow.org.

Contact

CodeBlueNow!
Kathleen O'Connor. 206-217-9430; 206-650-2750
or
Parsons Public Relations
Kathleen Warren, 206-789-5668