Report Findings

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Report Findings
There is a palpable anxiety about costs. We
learned through our town hall discussions and
confirmed it through local and national opinion
research that there is palpable anxiety about
the affordability of health care among Americans
from all walks of life, including people who have
health coverage and those who do not.
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There is a Palpable Anxiety About Costs
Cost (51 percent) rather than Quality (30
percent) or Being Able to Get Care (9 percent)
dominate health care concerns
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There is a Palpable Anxiety About Costs
More than one in four Americans (26 percent) have
put off some sort of medical treatment within the
past year because they couldnt pay for it
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There is a Palpable Anxiety About Costs
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) rate
the affordability of health care in their area or
community as Fair or Poor. For those surveyed in
the metropolitan areas where the town hall
meetings were held, the percentages are even
higher.
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There is a Palpable Anxiety About Costs
Those without coverage cite cost as the top
reason they do not have insurance, with 57
percent saying they cannot afford it.
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Report Findings
American's believe in the power of information.
The people health care consumers believe
that information has the power to help improve
the quality and efficiency of the health care
system, and they want to know more about both the
cost of care and the performance of their
providers. They are willing to share their health
information among their doctors and researchers
to improve the quality of care.
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The Power of Information
Critical Information About The Quality/Performance
of Doctors
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The Power of Information
Critical Information About The Quality/Performance
of Hospitals
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The Power of Information
Most Americans see the benefits of sharing health
data. 78 favor giving physicians the means to
share access to their medical records, while 66
see the value in including their own information
anonymously in a large database to help
researchers.
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The Power of Information
Although less than a quarter (23) of Americans
are currently using an electronic health record
(EHR) system, nearly twice as many (44) would be
interested in using an EHR system if it was
available.
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Report Findings
Changes America Wants. While many worry about
the unknown and unintended consequences of health
care reforms, a majority of Americans voice
support for a number of reform concepts PORTABI
LITY 78 favor allowing Americans to take their
health care coverage with them when they leave a
job.
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Report Findings
When it comes to the role of government in
reforming the system, America's voice is
clearPERFORMANCE RATINGS 81 agree that
government should require that performance
ratings of doctors and hospitals be publicly
available (60 strongly agree). PUBLIC MENU OF
COSTS 75 agree that government should require
that healthcare providers publish their costs
(58 strongly agree). PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS
75 agree that government should require
healthcare providers to cover pre-existing
conditions (54 strongly agree). EMPLOYER-BASED
CARE 72 agree that government should require
all large employers to provide health insurance
coverage to all full-time employees (54 strongly
agree). COMPETITION ACROSS STATE LINES 71
agree that government should create national or
regional healthcare exchanges to allow insurance
to be purchased across state lines (52 strongly
agree). ASSISTANCE FOR LOW-INCOME 69 agree
that government should provide assistance to low
income individuals and families to buy health
insurance (52 strongly agree).
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National Survey Results
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Report Findings
Americans also favor the adoption of electronic
health records systems and are willing to share
their health information under certain
conditions HEALTH INFORMATION SHARING 78 of
Americans favor giving doctors the ability to
share access to their medical records, if it is
done with their permission. EVIDENCE-BASED
MEDICINE 66 favor having health information
shared in a large database to help researchers
understand and compare the effectiveness and
possible side effects of various treatments or
prescription drugs, if no patient names were used
in the database.
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Report Findings

• HEALTH CARE PRIORITIES FOR PRESIDENTIAL
  CANDIDATES
• At a time when healthcare reforms are the talk of
  political candidates across America, the nation
  is tuned in, with 48 saying they are paying
  close attention to the candidates' positions on
  healthcare. They also are eager for more details
  to help them understand the plans.
• 74 say more information on how candidates would
  pay for their plans is critical
• 70 want more information about costs to
  individual tax payers
• 68 want to know how candidate's plan to control
  the rising costs of care
• In addition, the public has a clear sense of what
  the Presidential candidates major priorities
  should be regarding health care. The top agenda
  items include
• Providing insurance for all children (83)
• Controlling costs (81)
• Improving the quality and safety of care (77)
• Improving prescription drug coverage. (74)

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Report Findings
A Tale of Two Systems. Most Americans are aware
of a distressing discrepancy between the
excellent health care accessible by some and the
poor care available to others.
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National Survey Results
Concern about the Cost of Expanding Coverage.
While the American people are very aware of the
disparities in access to care, they also know
that there will be a significant cost involved in
expanding coverage among the uninsured, and most
are not willing to pay more in taxes to meet this
burden.
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National Survey Results
However, of those who are willing to pay higher
taxes, nearly half (48) would pay up to 100 per
year or more.
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