Americans believe access to health care should be the top domestic priority when the new Congress convenes next year, reports a new survey.

The poll also signalled to lawmakers and state legislators that Americans across the political spectrum would rally around the elements of a detailed plan put forth by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) to provide access to more than 40 million Americans.

“Americans across the political spectrum are saying that government should take action to improve access to health care coverage, but they do not support a one-size-fits-all approach," said Dr. Whitfield Ayres, president of Ayres, McHenry & Associates. "Promoting access to health care coverage is an issue Americans agree on regardless of party or ideology.”

The survey, conducted by Ayres, McHenry & Associates, Inc. and The Glover Park Group on behalf of AHIP, found that 80 percent of adults want Congress and state legislatures to do more to extend access to coverage.

While Americans express broad support for a stronger health care safety net, a commanding majority of Americans favour reforms that build on the current public-private system rather than implementing a new government-run system.