The Senate health committee resumed debate Monday on health reform legislation that would guarantee quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Another major poll published this week found that Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The national telephone survey found that 72 percent supported a government-administered insurance plan — something like Medicare for those under 65 years old — that would compete for customers with private insurers. The findings mirror another poll, published last week, in which 76 percent of respondents stated that giving people a choice of both a public plan administered by the  federal government and a private plan for their health insurance was extremely important or quite important. The results are even more lopsided in our own online survey.

The New York Times/CBS News poll found that:

• 72 percent of respondents state that they would favor the government offering everyone a government administered health plan similar to Medicare.
• 50 percent of Republicans polled would favor a government administered health insurance place like Medicare that would compete with private health insurance plans.
• 94 percent of respondents stated that is it a very serious or somewhat serious problem for the United States that many Americans do not have health insurance.
• 87 percent of people responding said that it is a very serious or somewhat serious problem that people in the U.S. are not getting the medical tests and treatments they need.
• 57 percent of those polled say that they would be willing to pay higher taxes so that all Americans have health insurance they can’t lose.
• 64 percent of people polled think that it is the federal government’s responsibility to guarantee health insurance for all Americans.

To take our poll, click here.