Boston, MA -- In a new analysis of recent and historical public opinion data on healthcare reform, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health have concluded that public support for the final legislation will depend significantly on what people learn about the bill’s impact on their personal situation. Current public support for specific elements of the legislation will be a secondary factor.

The analysis, “The American Public and the Next Phase of the Health Care Reform Debate,” was performed by Robert Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis, and Research Associate John M. Benson. It appears as an Online First Perspective in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine (www.nejm.org). The data for the analysis was drawn from 30 current national polls and from a reexamination of the Clinton health plan experience of 1994. Full text of the Perspective is available at: http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=2253&query=home 

Said Prof. Blendon: “The endgame in Washington with the public is going to be different than many in the Congress and White House believe today.”

For more information contact:

Robin Herman
Harvard School of Public Health
rherman@hsph.harvard.edu
(617) 432-4752

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Harvard School of Public Health ( http://www.hsph.harvard.edu ) is dedicated to advancing the public's health through learning, discovery, and communication. More than 400 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 1,000-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world. Programs and projects range from the molecular biology of AIDS vaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to violence prevention; from maternal and children's health to quality of care measurement; from health care management to international health and human rights. For more information on the school visit: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu