After the CBO gave the Baucus summary a preliminary score of being deficit-neutral, the Obama administration hoped for a reversal in widespread opposition to the ObamaCare overhaul.  Rasmussen’s latest poll of likely voters shows the opposite has happened.  Opposition has firmed up at 54%, while support has dropped four points over the last two weeks:

Now that the Senate Finance Committee has passed its version of health care reform, 42% of voters nationwide favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s down two points from a week ago and down four from the week before.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% are opposed to the plan.

The numbers have been remarkably stable throughout the debate. With the exception of bounces following presidential television appearances, support for the plan has stayed in a very narrow range from 41% to 46%. Currently, 24% Strongly Favor the legislative effort and 42% are Strongly Opposed.

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

In the wake of Obama’s speech to Congress, the ObamaCare effort won a brief moment of majority support, 51% to 46%.  Opposition rose as high as 56% two weeks later, and had bounced around in the low- to mid-50s ever since.  The current 54% is about the average since Congress went on its August recess.  The 42% support rating is the second-lowest in that period, after a 41% recorded three weeks ago.  Even in the summer, with all of the town hall dramas across the nation, it only got to 42% once; support mainly remained in the mid-40s.

The internals of the poll show big problems for Democrats who wind up supporting it in Congress.  Both men and women oppose it, the latter by eleven points (54%/43%).  Only the youngest category of voters support it; majorities in all other age demographics oppose ObamaCare by wide margins, including 18 points among thirtysomethings (58%/40%) and 20 points for fortysomethings (58%/38%).  Independents still oppose it by similar margins, 56% to 38%.  Among income demographics, only those earning under $20K per year support it; majorities oppose it now in every other income category.

The stat of the day from the Rasmussen internals?  Government workers oppose it by a majority, 55%/43%, with 46% strongly disapproving.  When statists can’t even get government workers to get on board the statist bus, they’ve really overshot their intrusion in the private sector.