New Poll: Americans Do Back Health Plan?

It's often been alleged that the media have done a poor job of covering the past year's health reform debate, that most Americans back various elements of it but the press (and the White House) have done a poor job of explaining, defending and putting it all together. Now there is more support for that: a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

It finds that the public is indeed divided on the overall plan--but when elements are describe separately, they back nearly all of them. An excerpt from NYT review:

Many Americans remain unfamiliar with key elements of the major bills passed by the House and Senate. Among the least known elements of the legislation is that the Congressional Budget Office has said health care reform would reduce the deficit. Sixty percent expect the legislation to increase the deficit, but almost as many, 56 percent, said that reducing “the federal deficit by at least $132 billion over 10 years” would make them more supportive of the health care proposal.