As President Obama and Congress hash out healthcare legislation, the IT industry has its own views about healthcare reform. That includes the industry overall supporting a public option to lower healthcare costs, but at the same time worrying that reform will grow government too large, according to a new survey.The online survey of C-level executives from 392 IT firms ranging in size from having revenue under $1 million to more than $100 million, was conducted in September by IT membership organization, CompTIA. However, none of the survey respondents were CompTIA members, said a CompTIA spokesman.

The survey found that 96% of respondents are closely following the healthcare debate. Seventy percent of the think the U.S. should control the growth of healthcare costs, and 62% support a public option to compete with the private sector as a way of controlling costs. However, 37% think the government should not intervene in the private healthcare and insurance market.

At the same time, 59% think healthcare reform will lead to higher taxes; 42% think healthcare reform will grow government too large. Forty-two percent feel the private healthcare marketplace doesn't work well and shouldn't be used to expand coverage, yet 44% feel healthcare reform will lead to "socialized medicine."

And while 94% of those surveyed believe that technology will play a key role in reforming the healthcare system, 33% think that healthcare reform will make the U.S. health system less innovative.

The findings seem to reveal that the IT industry has some conflicting feelings about healthcare reform.

How conflicted are you?

InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on e-health and the federal stimulus package. Download the report here (registration required).