Finally some proof that fewer and fewer people believe that "America has the best health care in the world!" This claim simply doesn't resonate with Americans who have experienced (or heard about) distressing personal encounters with swamped emergency rooms, medical errors, specialists who don't talk to each other, nursing shortages in hospitals, high prices, etc. etc.

According to a new poll from the Harvard School of Public Health and HarrisInteractive, only 45 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement "the U.S. has the best health care system." Republicans were most likely to agree (68 percent) compared to Democrats (32) and Independents (40). That's a pretty sharp discrepancy - but it also mirrors the approaches and slogans we've heard on the campaign trail this year.

Across the political spectrum, respondents said that the United States does a worse job than Canada, France or Great Britain in making sure that everyone can get affordable health care and control costs. Among Republicans, 40 percent said our country does better than other countries on providing affordable care, but only 19 percent of Democrats thought so. (This particular poll did not test their views on possible solutions to the system).

It's still hard to know whether voters are beginning to connect the dots between the quality gaps they encounter when they seek medical care, and the strains in our insurance and delivery system. We'll do our best to point them out.

For other takes on the poll, see this Wall Street Journal blog post, and this Reuters article.