Most U.S. Doctors Support Public Insurance Option: Poll

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A majority of American doctors support inclusion of a "public option" to supplement private health care, according to a survey released Monday by the New England Journal of Medicine.

The poll of 2,130 general physicians, specialists and surgeons found that 62.9 percent favored a government insurance plan option, 27.3 percent supported a private system alone, and 9.6 percent backed a completely government-owned health insurance system, Agence France Presse reported.

"It's clear that the majority of U.S. physicians support both public and private options to expand coverage," said the journal, which noted that between 52 percent and 69 percent of Americans support a supplemental public option.

The survey also found that 58.3 percent of doctors back expansion of Medicare to cover people aged 55 and older. Currently, the program is for those over age 65.