During the past two weeks our hypothetical chief executives had to make a domestic-policy decision concerning health-care reform. (Click here to view the full Executive Decision memo for this scenario, written by James Fallows.) The options presented to the President by his or her aides were the following:

Option A: Code Name "LYNDON," the single-payer plan.

Option B: Code Name "HILLARY," the managed-competition plan.

Option C: Code Name "TEDDY," the insurance-reform plan.

Option D: Code Name "RUSH," the market-forces plan.

Option E: A Bold New Approach To Cost-Cutting.

The Results

Health Care Now. 39% of respondents chose Option A ("Lyndon"), the single-payer plan, which was far and away the most popular choice. Option D ("Rush"), the more conservative market-forces plan got 20% of the vote; close to the same number (17%) voted for Option B ("Hillary"), the managed-competition option, and Option C ("Teddy"), the insurance-reform plans (16%). Option E, the final unauthorized option ("Dr. Jack"), had its share of proponents, netting 8% of the vote.

Option	% of Respondents
Option A: "Lyndon"	39%
Option B: "Hillary"	17%
Option C: "Teddy"	16%
Option D: "Rush"	20%
Option E: "Dr. Jack"	8%

Proponents of a single-payer plan argued that universal, government-managed health care would be the most humane, equitable, and cost-effective option, and pointed to the benefits of preventive care, the current inability of those with preexisting conditions to obtain affordable insurance, and the success of similar single-payer systems in other industrialized nations. On the other end of the spectrum, those who favored the market-forces plan argued for the necessity of cost-cutting and stressed the need for the government to intrude less in public affairs and for individuals to take responsibility for their own health care.

Party Lines. Of those respondents who indicated a political affiliation, 40% were Democrats, 28% Republicans, and 20% Independents; of those remaining, 9% selected Other and 3% were unregistered. Republicans in general were much more supportive of Option D ("Rush") while Democrats tended to choose Option A ("Lyndon") or B ("Hillary"). 51% of those who chose Option A were Democrats, 17% Independents, 15% Republicans, and 17% were either Other or unregistered. 70% of those who chose option B were Democrats, 15% Independents, 10% Republicans, and 5% Other. Of those who chose Option C ("Teddy"), 42% were Democrats, 26% Republicans, 26% Independents, and 6% Other. Of those who chose Option D ("Rush"), 67% were Republicans, 22% Independents, 7% Other, and 4% Democrats. Of those who chose Option E ("Dr. Jack"), 30% were Democrats, 30% Republicans, 20% Independents, and 20% Other.

Option	Republicans	Democrats	Independents	Other
Option A: "Lyndon"	17%	51%	15%	17%
Option B: "Hillary"	10%	70%	15%	5%
Option C: "Teddy"	26%	42%	26%	6%
Option D: "Rush"	67%	4%	22%	7%
Option E: "Dr. Jack"	30%	30%	20%	20%

The Significance of the Issue. While health-care reform is perhaps not as big an issue as it was in last year's election, respondents clearly felt that it is significant; only 2% of respondents chose the "completely irrelevant" and 13% the "not very important" options. 41% of respondents thought health-care reform was "fairly important," 39% believed it to be "very important," and 4% said "it's THE most significant issue."

In contrast, of those who voted in our entitlement poll (results were posted two weeks ago), 56% believed entitlements to be "very important," 27% believed they were "fairly important," 12% thought they were "THE most important issue," and a combined 6% thought the entitlement issue to be "not very important" or "completely irrelevant."

In our immigration poll (results were posted a month ago) 50% of respondents thought the immigration issue was "fairly important," 32% selected "very important," and 2% selected "it's THE most significant issue."

Issue	THE Most Important Issue	Very Important	Fairly Important	Not Very Important	Completely Irrelevant
Health Care Reform	4%	41%	39%	13%	2%
Entitlement Reform	12%	56%	27%	4%	2%
Immigration Reform	2%	32%	50%	15%	1%

Age. Of respondents who indicated their age only 1% were under 18, 42% were between 18 and 34, 25% were between 35 and 44, 16% were between 45 and 54, and 16% were over 55. Age had little or no perceptible effect on which option was picked and on the significance ascribed to the issue.

Age Range	% of Respondents
Under 18	1%
18-34	42%
35-44	25%
45-54	16%
Over 55	16%

Race and Gender. The breakdown of choices by race showed little variation. Women, who made up 17% of total respondents, were slightly more likely to vote for Option D ("Rush") (30%) than either options A or B (25% each) or Option C (20%).

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