A majority of Oregonians could favor universal health care provided by the state, even if it requires a new tax to pay for it, according to a poll released last week.

Seattle-based polling firm Elway Research found that there is broad support from both Democrats and Republicans for a government-run health care option, some even saying that it should replace private insurance altogether.

About 75% of Oregonians see so-called single-payer insurance as more desirable than the current system. The respondents, who were surveyed by phone and email, said this even while saying they are mostly happy with their current insurance.

About 400 registered voters were surveyed – 35% Democrats, 25% Republicans and 21% did not identify with a party. The poll had a 5 percentage-point margin of error. It was commissioned by two Republican business owners in the Willamette Valley, Warren George and Ron Loe.

Researchers say that the willingness to ditch the current private insurance system could be spurred by most people seeing the health care system as deeply flawed. A vast majority of people said that the current system is confusing and troubled by rising costs. Many respondents attribute the price hikes to insurance and pharmaceutical companies wanting to maximize profit – a market condition few expect to change.

But if the survey results are an indication of how the state would vote, Oregon could be one of the first states in the country at that point.

Stuart Elway, president of the polling firm, said to be cautious with the results.

Likely, about half of the people surveyed are actually undecided -- or persuadable by rigorous election campaigns.

“It is easier to tell a pollster that one favors a new health care tax than it is to actually vote for one,” Elway said. “Still, with 6 in 10 respondents open to a measure that would eliminate or replace private insurance, establish a new state agency and a new health care tax to fund it, these findings indicate that Oregon voters are ready to have that discussion.”

Researchers said a few other responses backed up the assertion that Oregonians might be more interested in universal health care than previously thought. Surveyors offered two more narrow options that also had a majority of support -- insurance that would only cover catastrophic events for everyone and insurance that would only cover primary care for everyone -- but the majorities were narrower than comprehensive, lifetime coverage for everyone.

Even when that insurance was estimated to cost two to three times what people pay in income tax, they supported it by high margins.

However, Republicans tended to doubt whether this plan would be doable. While a majority said it was desirable, the percentage of people who supported it fell as the price tag rose.

The more likely the person was to vote also correlated to a softening of their enthusiasm. Still, a majority of people who likely only vote in presidential election years supported statewide universal healthcare.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com | 503-294-5923 | @MollyHarbarger

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.