AP Poll: Americans favor overhauling health care, want parties to cooperate

AP Poll: Americans want health care bipartisanship

WASHINGTON — The latest Associated Press-GfK poll shows that Americans and their lawmakers are out of sync on health care.

Large majorities of those questioned want Democrats and Republicans to work together on overhauling the nation’s system. But that bipartisanship is nowhere in sight in Washington.

The poll found a hunger for improvements to the system. That suggests President Barack Obama and Democrats have a political opening to push their plan. Half of all Americans say health care should be changed “a great deal,” and only 4 percent say it shouldn’t change at all.

But they don’t like the way the debate is playing out, with GOP lawmakers unanimously opposing the Obama-backed legislation and Democrats struggling to pass it with a narrow majority.