Interstate Purchasing of Health Ins.

[ins.dave]

Those days are either already over or soon to be over. The feds will define what a creditable plan is and what it must cover. If you want to buy a plan somewhere that does not cover what say a creditable plan should then no tax credit or subsidy for you. Trust me, when you see where premiums are headed, you have enough problems without getting a plan that has no tax credit.

Change you can believe in.

It's a frigg'n hot potatoe.
Its too funny watching people make suggestions without accounting for the money …

Sure, GI, comprehensive plans, why would that cost extra money …?
Is the money going to come from interstate, mandate … I like this idea if Obummer leaves the carriers alone afterward. Why wouldn't they just try that first … see how the market adapts …

Nobody wants subsidies. "Won't raise the debt …"

Maybe to have quality care, we are just going to have to pay for it?
Blame the immigrants.
Blame the uninsured with income.
Blame the fat and lazy smokers.

Read a blog this am. This guy … "we need an exchange, but no subsidies, we can't afford them" … ughhhhh.

The whole idea of an "exchange …." That's going to contriol costs? WTF is that going to accomplish?
That makes me more psycho than any other part of this mess.
What's the rational? Like we don't have plenty of places on the frigg'n net to shop at?
Oh, we need the govt. to tell us which plans to buy …?
"I know they will help us to choose wisely … they are here to protect us"… pfffffffffffffffffffff.

 

[arnguy]

.....
Mike Huckabee (MH)Disturbing Poll Numbers for Obama by Harris Interactive

10/18/09, by Proloy Bhatta

• Only 45% of adults approved of Obama's performance as president.
• 61% believe the country is heading on the wrong track.
• Methodology of this poll causes Obama to score an average of 17% lower in the lower two age brackets. So take it in stride.

MORE >>
Republicans Very Hopeful for 2012, Huckabee Leads in Latest Poll

10/16/09, by Proloy Bhatta

• Huckabee 29%, Romney 24%, Palin 18%.
• 81% believe the Republican nominee in 2012 is at least somewhat likely to win the presidency.

I guess it all depends on who they are asking. For instance, last week the ABC News poll gave Obama a 57% approval rating.

 

[Winter_123]

I guess it all depends on who they are asking. For instance, last week the ABC News poll gave Obama a 57% approval rating.

True that.

The other thing that confounds the issue is that polls are often measuring different factors yet people put them side by side and compare them.

Obama is a charismatic guy who specializes in getting people to like him without regard to the issues. That's what he does. Thus he scores very high on "favorability" polls even if he is not accomplishing much. Other polls measure "job approval or performance" and he scored high once upon a time but it has gone south considerably. But there are lots and lots of folks who like him and have a favorable view toward him but think he is not very effective. Thus the polls go in different directions.

It was the same with Ronald Reagan. Most of the common folk liked him and had a favorable view toward him but when it came to the job approval piece he lost ground with people unless they were conservative.

Let's not even bother to talk about favorability or job performance poll results for Congress. As Gertrude Stein said about Oakland, California: "there's no there there." (threw that in for my lib friends here from CA)

 

[djs]

The best use of polling data is to look at trends within the same poll, and forget about the specific numbers. Trends tell a lot more.

All pollsters use a form of weighting which is designed to try to account for polling variances. There is no universal way to do this, so even if gallup and rasmussen had the same set of data, they would show slightly different results, but over time, the results would trend the same.

I also prefer polls that are taken regularly rather than news driven polls. A news or event driven poll tends not to have a baseline, which means its hard to detect trends.

The way questions are asked makes a huge difference as well. For some reason, I seem to get a fair amount of polling calls. I usually don't participate, but I did in one several years ago. It went something like this:

- Do you favor fixing the state lottery so schools get more money? - My answer was yes, though it was a leading question.

- Do you favor allowing indian tribe gaming? - I gave a hesitant yes, but wanted some restrictions here.

- Would you support a ballot initiative to fix the lottery and allow indian tribe gaming? - My answer was a resounding NO, NEVER! I simply don't support mixing 2 unrelated things to try to get some extra support for a weak initiative (which at the time was indian tribe gaming).

To this day, the lottery is still broken. Indians do have their gaming. The state doesn't make money on either.

Dan

 

[Winter_123]

The best use of polling data is to look at trends within the same poll, and forget about the specific numbers. Trends tell a lot more.

All pollsters use a form of weighting which is designed to try to account for polling variances. There is no universal way to do this, so even if gallup and rasmussen had the same set of data, they would show slightly different results, but over time, the results would trend the same.

I also prefer polls that are taken regularly rather than news driven polls. A news or event driven poll tends not to have a baseline, which means its hard to detect trends.

The way questions are asked makes a huge difference as well. For some reason, I seem to get a fair amount of polling calls. I usually don't participate, but I did in one several years ago. It went something like this:

- Do you favor fixing the state lottery so schools get more money? - My answer was yes, though it was a leading question.

- Do you favor allowing indian tribe gaming? - I gave a hesitant yes, but wanted some restrictions here.

- Would you support a ballot initiative to fix the lottery and allow indian tribe gaming? - My answer was a resounding NO, NEVER! I simply don't support mixing 2 unrelated things to try to get some extra support for a weak initiative (which at the time was indian tribe gaming).

To this day, the lottery is still broken. Indians do have their gaming. The state doesn't make money on either.

Dan

True. In addition pollsters often fail to design a poll to determine whether the pollee is just giving their "feelings" and thoughts or whether they are likely to take any action or pony up. That is why in recent years political pollsters have changed their polling over to "likely voters." What difference does it make who a voter supports if they are not going to vote.

I can think of at least a hundred issues where you could poll people in my community and get a favorable response. Then you ask if they would be willing to pay a half percent more in property tax to support it and they say no.

Most polling by TV folks is crap but also funny.

"Do you think we should withdraw from Afghanistan or send more troops so that we are too frigging broke to pay for schools and health care, will lose 10,000 more soldiers for nothing and will be mired down in a way that makes Vietnam look like a walk in the park and experience ED trying to deal with it?

Errr..ahhhh. let me think that over.

Margin of error of +/- 5%

 

[djs]

True. In addition pollsters often fail to design a poll to determine whether the pollee is just giving their "feelings" and thoughts or whether they are likely to take any action or pony up. That is why in recent years political pollsters have changed their polling over to "likely voters." What difference does it make who a voter supports if they are not going to vote.

True, this is why I get called. I vote in every election, regardless if I know what it's about or not. I even voted for the recent primary to replace Ellen Tauscher. Didn't really matter, but I voted. Keeps my string of no missed votes to about 10 years. Does not pay my mortgage.

I am a likely voter. That still does not pay my mortgage.

Dan