House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the House version of health care reform legislation last week, but most voters are still opposed to the effort.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s down from 45% a week ago but unchanged from two weeks ago.

Fifty-four percent (54%) now oppose the legislative effort, up three points since last week.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of liberals support the plan, but just 18% of conservatives agree.

Only 23% of all voters Strongly Support the plan while nearly twice as man (44%) are Strongly Opposed.

As has been the case for months, Democrats favor the plan while Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party are opposed. The latest numbers show support from 69% of those in the president’s party. The plan is opposed by 80% of Republicans and a plurality (48%) of unaffiliated voters.

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Nineteen percent (19%) of all voters say passage of the legislation is Very Likely while 10% say it is Not at All Likely to pass. Most voters offer an assessment in between those extremes, with 34% saying the plan is Somewhat Likely to pass and 26% say Not Very Likely.

Perhaps the most stunning aspect of the numbers is how stable they have been through months of debate, town hall protests, presidential speeches, congressional wrangling and more. With the exception of bounces following nationally televised presidential pitches for the plan, support has stayed between 41% and 46% since July. Rasmussen Reports is tracking support for the plan on a weekly basis.

Fifty-five percent (55%) say passage of the plan would increase the cost of health care, and 52% say it would hurt the quality of care. Just 23% say it would reduce costs while 27% believe it would improve quality.

Polling released last week showed that health care reform remains the top priority for Democratic voters. However, it ranks fourth on a list of four among Republicans and unaffiliated voters. Overall, 38% of voters see deficit reduction as most important among the four priorities listed by the president earlier this year, while 23% cite health care reform as tops.

Polling on the health care topic by many firms has created some confusion. In particular, polls on the “public option” show a wide variety of results. A recent poll in The Washington Post found that 57% support a government-run health insurance company to compete with private insurers, but Rasmussen Reports polling shows that support is very soft. In fact, people are strongly opposed to a public option if they think it could lead employers to drop the existing coverage they provide employees. The fact that results are so subject to change based upon minor differences in question wording suggests that voters do not have firm opinions on the public option.

Virtually all polling shows a plurality or majority opposed to the current plan in Congress. The poll in The Washington Post found just 45% support for the congressional plan among all adults. Additionally, support for the current plan has remained stable suggesting that public opinion is firmly established at this time.

Other recent polling shows that 49% would rather see no health care legislation passed this year than see the current bill become law. Two-thirds (66%) say an increase in competition is more likely than increased government regulation to reduce the cost of health care. That’s one reason there is strong support for removing the exemption from anti-trust laws currently enjoyed by insurance companies.

While voters are skeptical of the plan working its way through Congress, 54% say major changes are needed in the health care system. Sixty-one percent (61%) say it’s important for Congress to pass some reform.

As Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal: “The most important fundamental is that 68% of American voters have health insurance coverage they rate good or excellent. … Most of these voters approach the health care reform debate fearing that they have more to lose than to gain.”

Only 31% believe Congress has a good understanding of the proposed health care reform.

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