The Senate Finance Committee has finally made its 1,500-page version of the health care reform bill public. But not to worry: As the Washington newspaper The Politico reports this morning, “It’s important to remember that the bill won’t exist in this form for long.”

This continuing, confusing legislative process helps to explain why new Rasmussen Reports polling shows voters still believe strongly that they understand the overall health care reform proposal better than Congress.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters rate their own understanding of President Obama’s health care reform proposal as good or excellent, but just 31% say the same of Congress.

The good news for Congress is that the latest finding is up nine points from two months ago when only 22% rated the legislators’ understanding of the plan as good or excellent. Even then, however, 51% said they personally had a good or excellent understanding of the plan.

Thirty-one percent (31%) think Congress has a poor understanding of the health care proposal, down four points from August. Only 19% say the same of themselves.

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But then only 22% of voters say most members of Congress will understand what is in the health care plan before they vote on it. Fifty-three percent (53%) say most members of Congress are not very or not at all likely to have read the plan before they vote.

For the latest survey, Rasmussen Reports asked participants to rate their own understanding of the legislation and then to rate congressional understanding. They were not asked to compare their own understanding with that of Congress.

Democrats have more confidence in both their own and Congress’ understanding than do Republicans and voters not affiliated with either party. Still, while 54% of Democrats rate their own understanding of the health care plan as good or excellent, only 44% say the same of Congress.

Forty percent (40%) of GOP voters, 20% of Democrats and 33% of unaffiliateds say Congress has a poor understanding of the health care proposal.

Liberals are more than twice as likely as conservatives and moderates to say Congress has a good or excellent understanding of the plan. However, liberals are more confident in their own understanding, compared to Congress and the other two political groups.

Only 11% of liberals think Congress has a poor understanding of the health care plan, but conservatives (44%) and moderates (26%) are more skeptical.

Nearly two-thirds of voters (65%) expect the health care plan that emerges from Congress to be mostly what Democrats want, but 42% attribute the nearly unilateral Republican opposition to partisan politics rather than questions about the details of the plan.

Forty-two percent (42%) of voters now favor the health care plan, down two points from a week ago and down four from the week before. Fifty-four percent (54%) are opposed, but the numbers have been remarkably stable throughout the debate.

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