Below The Beltway

According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll:

[T]he NBC/Journal poll — which was conducted of 1,009 adults Oct. 22-25, and which has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points — shows that opinions on the health care debate haven’t changed much over the past month.

Only 38 percent believe that Obama’s health plan is a good idea, compared with 42 percent who say it’s a bad idea, which is virtually identical to the numbers from September.

But what has changed is that support for a government-run insurance plan is now at its highest level since the debate began. Forty-eight percent say they favor a public health plan administered by the federal government that would compete with private insurers, compared with 42 percent who oppose it.

That’s a shift from last month, though within the margin of error, when 48 percent opposed the public option and 46 percent supported it. And it’s a large swing from August, when 47 percent were in opposition and 43 percent were in favor.

Also on health care, a plurality of Americans (45 percent) believes it would be better to pass Obama’s health care plan than keep the current system. But a majority (51 percent) also are worried that reform might go too far.

McInturff, the GOP pollster, describes the public as “hesitant reformers” on health care. “They would like to see something done, but they’re not convinced about the current direction.”

That, and not the modest up-tick in support for a public option, which still remains below 50%, is the real take-away from this poll.