Will the public ever understand the complexities of reform?
National Public Radio/Kaiser Family Foundation/Kennedy School of Government
National Survey of Americans' Views on Taxes
April 2003
14. And now I want to read a brief list of terms that are related to taxes and the federal tax system. For each, please tell me if you have heard the term and know what it means, have heard the term but don't know what it means, or have not heard the term.
a. Progressive taxes
21% - Heard the term and know what it means
23% - Heard the term but don't know what it means
56% - Have not heard the term
http://www.kff.org/content/2003/3340/NPRTaxSurveyToplines.pdf
Comment: One of the advantages of a single payer system is that it would be equitably funded at least partially through progressive taxes. This is one of the many messages that we must deliver to the American public before we can expect a grassroots effort to provide political traction for our proposal. If the public doesn't even understand the concept of progressive taxation, how can we ever expect them to understand the complexities of health care reform?
We have a lot of work to do.