Most Americans skeptical about health care reform, Thomson Reuters survey says — MedCity Morning Read, Aug. 25, 2009

ANN ARBOR, Michigan — The latest Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare Survey suggests that more Americans than not are skeptical about health care reform’s ability to improve the cost or quality of care.

The longest-running survey of consumer attitudes about health care took the pulse of more than 3,000 Americans through phone surveys during the week of July 28 and Aug. 9, Thomson Reuters Healthcare said in a release. That was just prior to the summer recess for Congress, which has been marked with contentious meetings about health care reform.

The survey found that a minority of respondents (37.9 percent) believes health care reform will improve the cost of care. A smaller minority, 30.3 percent, sees reform improving the quality of care, according to Thomson Reuters. Meanwhile, 44.5 percent of respondents think the federal government should plan an “active” or “very active” role in overseeing health care, while 53.3 percent said the government should be “somewhat active” or “not active at all.”

Seven in 10 respondents strongly agree that Americans are “entitled to the best health care available,” but only 46.3 percent of respondents think the U.S. health care system is the best. Most respondents are satisfied with their doctors’ care and their insurers’ coverage, however only about half are satisfied with they amount they pay out-of-pocket for care, according to Thomson Reuters.

Just over half of respondents (58 percent) said they would be willing to bear a tax increase of 1 percent or more to pay for health care reform. Meanwhile, only three demographic groups — those under 35 years old, those that earn less than $50,000 a year, and women — support the requirement that everyone have health insurance. And older Americans are the most satisfied with the status quo and most resist reforms that might change it.

“It’s easy to see why there is considerable disagreement about health care reform,” said Gary Pickens, chief research officer for the Healthcare & Science business of Thomson Reuters and lead author of the study. “People are generally satisfied with what they have, skeptical that change will improve the system, and divided on the role the government should play.”

All of that adds up to a challenge for legislators to find the middle ground in their reform efforts, Pickens said.

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