Are doctors supporting the public option? Beats us

Photo by [lauren nelson]

​ Two different polls making the rounds recently have us confused beyond belief. Like most polls out there today, it's pretty easy to find a legitimate poll that seems to perfectly fit whatever view you have of the world.

Rep. Michele Bachmann made a post on Townhall today pointing us to a poll in Investor's Business Daily that says "two out of three practicing physicians oppose the medical overhaul plan under consideration in Washington." It even says that 45 percent of those polled would consider quitting their jobs if the current overhaul plan passes.

But according to the poll making the rounds earlier this week, nearly two-thirds of doctors polled think President Obama's plan, a combination of both public and private options, is the best choice for the U.S. health care system. About three-quarters of those polled think some form of a public option is best. That was reported by National Public Radio.

How can these two polls coexist? We're not quite sure. The only major difference we found was that the poll reported at NPR was conducted over a longer period of time: from June to early September. The Investor's Business Daily's reported poll was just from the past two weeks. If you spot any other differences to explain these, we'd love to hear it.