The American Spectator

While the latest NPR/Resurgent Republic poll shows Barack Obama with a narrow lead over Mitt Romney, it contains bad news for the president on health care reform.

By a margin of almost two-to-one, voters say the health care reform law will hurt rather than help the economy. Both Independents and battleground-state voters believe it will hurt more than help — 47 to 20 percent among Independents, and 47 to 26 percent in battleground states.

Far more voters say their health care costs have gone up than gone down since the law was passed.

Voters say controlling costs is the top priority for health care in America today, and among the voters most concerned about reducing costs, two-thirds think the health care reform law does not address that priority.

Republicans, independents, and battleground state voters all also agree they would rather get their health insurance from a private company than the federal government. Romney also enjoys a 5-point lead among independents, though Obama leads 47 percent to 45 percent overall. That is within the margin of error.