Public Opinion About Health Care - Most Americans Believe That Access To Health Care Is A Right

A January 2004 Kaiser Family Foundation poll reconfirmed Americans' belief that everyone should have equal access to health care ("Health Care Should Be Provided Equally to Everyone," Kaiser Health Poll Report, Washington, DC: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, February 2004). Since 1993, eight in ten survey respondents resolved that health care should be provided equally to all, and more than half agreed "completely" that access to health care should be provided independent of age, income, health status, or employment. In 2004 more than three-quarters of survey respondents (76%) affirmed "strongly" or "somewhat" that access to health care should be a right. (See Figure 9.2.)

In addition to agreeing that everyone should have access to health care, about two-thirds of Americans feel that the federal government should guarantee medical care for the uninsured. There is, however, little consensus about the extent to which the government should intervene to solve this problem. A May 2003 poll, "Major Versus Limited Effort to Help the Uninsured" (Kaiser Health Poll Report, Washington, DC: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, February 2004), found Americans divided about whether the government should commit to a major initiative or a limited effort to provide health insurance to the uninsured. When offered a range of policy options to extend health insurance coverage to more people, Americans voiced majority support for every option except a national health plan financed by taxpayers, but when asked to select the best course of action, no single plan won widespread support. (See Figure 9.3.)

Public Opinion about Health Care Costs, Access, and the Uninsured

A Kaiser Family Foundation Health Poll Report Survey conducted in February 2004 revealed persistent widespread concern about a number of key health care issues. Some 82% of Americans said it was very important for the President and Congress to act to lower the costs of health insurance and prescription drugs. More than three-quarters of survey respondents felt it was vital to increase the number of Americans covered by health insurance, and 75% thought that families should receive financial assistance to help pay for long-term care for older adults or persons with disabilities. (See Figure 9.4.)

When forced to choose the most important health priority from a list, increasing the number of Americans covered by health insurance was named by about one-fifth (21%) of the respondents, behind reducing the cost of health insurance (25%), but ahead of other pressing issues such as lowering the cost of prescription drugs (15%) and helping families finance long-term care (11%). (See Figure 9.4.) While health care costs were clearly the priority for survey respondents, nearly one-quarter expressed concern about access including universal health coverage and access to health care for the poor. (See Figure 9.5.)

A Kaiser Family Foundation Health Poll Report Survey conducted in April 2004 confirmed that one-third of insured Americans are deeply concerned about the prospect of losing their health insurance, and nearly half (47%) of all survey respondents (insured and uninsured) were worried about having to pay more for their health insurance.