Health Care Reform

From the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll:

• Overall, six in ten (59 percent) say they have taken at least one of seven steps to delay or skip care this past year. Most common was relying on home remedies or over the counter drugs rather than consulting a physician, which 42 percent report, followed by skipping dental care. Three in ten reported not filling a prescription.

• Overall, one in four Americans (26 percent) say someone in their household has had trouble paying medical bills over the course of the past year. But in lower income households or households without insurance coverage, these problems are even more frequent, affecting upwards of four in ten Americans (43 percent and 46 percent, respectively).

• A majority of Americans (59 percent) continue to say that economic challenges make it more important than ever to take on health care reform now, while 37 percent say we can’t afford to tackle reform at this point.

• A majority of Democrats (77 percent) and independents (56 percent) saying we need health care reform now, and a majority of Republicans saying now is not the right time (57 percent).

• A majority of Americans (56 percent) believe that the country would be better off if Congress and the president do pass health care reform. Overall, 43 percent believe their own family would be better off, while 36 percent say it wouldn’t affect them and 14 percent say they would be worse off.

• Topping the list in terms of popularity are a Medicare buy-in for those aged 55 to 64. Overall, just over half of Americans (53 percent) “strongly” support such a proposal and an additional 26 percent say they support it somewhat, totaling 79 percent backing. There is similar support for expanding state government programs for low income people, and just slightly less for individual and employer mandates.

• 57 percent of Americans say that having private insurance companies compete both with each other and with a public plan would be a better way of encouraging the private sector to “provide the best product for the lowest price.” Roughly a third (35 percent) say that private sector competition alone would provide a superior product.

• Currently, however, 67 percent of Americans are favorably disposed to a public health insurance option. It’s worth noting, however, that only half of this support – 34 percent overall – comes from those who say they are strongly committed to the concept. Support for the idea remained equally high (an identical 67 percent) when a separate sample was asked a version of the question that included the words “government-administered” in describing the plan.

• Currently seven in ten support increasing taxes on families making more than $250,000 per year, nearly the identical proportion who supported this proposal last December. There is no such widespread support for raising income taxes more generally, however. Overall, only 28 percent would support increasing income taxes for all taxpayers. Fully half “strongly oppose” such a plan.

• Overall, six in ten say they would be in favor of raising taxes on “items that are thought to be unhealthy, such as soda, alcohol,junk food and cigarettes” when these items are presented as a group. Roughly four in ten say they “strongly support” this, with the rest of the backing coming from more lukewarm supporters. Though one argument against these sort of taxes tends to be that they hit lower income Americans harder, those with lower incomes are somewhat more likely to be strongly in favor of the tax. Overall, 68 percent of those in households making under $30,000 per year say they favor the tax, including 47 percent who strongly favor it, compared to 55 percent among those making more than $75,000 per year (35 percent strongly favoring).

• Though some have expressed interest in changing the tax treatment of employer-provided health insurance for those with the most generous benefits, this proposal is not currently popular with a majority of Americans. Overall, roughly four in ten (41 percent) back the idea, while 52 percent are opposed to this change in a current benefit. Those who currently have employer-sponsored health insurance are even more likely to oppose the proposal (33 percent favor, 62 percent oppose). Among this group, 38 percent say they believe they would qualify as having generous benefits and so be subject to the tax.

• Just over three in four Americans say the Medicare program is “very important” for the country as a whole, and just over half say it is very important for their own family. Seniors – who make up the bulk of current participants – are even more likely to say the program is important to them: nine in ten of those aged 65 and up say the program is important to them and their family, with nearly all of these (78 percent overall) calling it “very important.” Medicare is also viewed as particularly vital by those with fewer resources – fully 68 percent of those in households making less than $30,000 per year say Medicare is very important to them. It’s worth noting that the program is also viewed as very important by half (49 percent) of those making more middle class incomes ($30,000-75,000 per year)

For more go to Health Care for All

 

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