Kaiser Family Foundation
Kaiser Family Foundation
News Release
January 11, 2005
… a new post-election survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.
At the top of the list, almost two thirds (63%) of U.S. adults cite lowering the costs of health care and health insurance as a top priority for the President and Congress, followed by making Medicare more fiscally sound for the future (58%) and increasing the number of Americans with health insurance (57%).
Health care costs
Lowering the cost of health care and insurance was named as a top priority for the President and Congress by 63% of the public, and by an equal share of Republicans (61%) and Democrats (61%). Asked about the causes of rising
health care costs, 29% of Americans say that high profits made by drug and
insurance companies are the most important factor, while 22% say the number
of malpractice lawsuits and 15% say the amount of greed and waste that occurs in the health care system. In comparison, 7% cite the costs of medical technology and drugs, a factor many health care experts cite as a major driver of higher health care costs.
Expanding health coverage for the uninsured
The public places a relatively high priority on increasing the number of Americans with health insurance.
However, the public does not agree on a single best approach and is relatively evenly divided on a number of potential policy approaches. When asked to choose their most preferred option to increase the number of Americans with health insurance, 23% say offering businesses tax deductions or other financial assistance to help them provide health insurance to their employees, while 17% say offering tax deductions or other financial assistance to help individuals pay for private insurance and 17% say expanding state government programs such as Medicaid. Smaller shares (between 12% and 15%) say they most prefer other options, such as a national government health plan, expanding Medicare to cover people under age 65, and requiring businesses to offer health insurance for their employees.
Americans are also divided on whether they are willing to pay more, either in taxes or in higher health insurance premiums, to expand coverage to the uninsured - with 51% saying they would not be willing to pay more, and 45%
saying they would be willing to pay more.
http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/pomr011105nr.cfm
Poll Toplines
8. As you may know, the federal government has a budget deficit this year, so there will be only a limited amount of money for expanding things the government does. I’m going to read you a list of some different things the President and Congress might try to act on this year, some of which will cost money to do and some will not. As I read each one, tell me if you think it should be one of their TOP priorities, important but not a top priority, not too important, or should not be done at all. What about (INSERT)?
Should this be one of their TOP priorities, important but not a top priority, not too important, or should not be done at all?
e. Dealing with health care costs
60% - Top priority
34% - Important, but not a top priority
04% - Not too important
01% - Should not be done at all
00% - Don’t know
j. Expanding health insurance coverage for people who are uninsured
50% - Top priority
39% - Important, but not a top priority
08% - Not too important
03% - Should not be done at all
00% - Don’t know
23. I’m going to read you some different ways to increase the number of Americans covered by health insurance. As I read each one, please tell me whether you would favor it or oppose it. Here’s the (first/next) one - (INSERT). Do you favor or oppose this?
a. A national health plan, financed by taxpayers, in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan
37% - Favor
55% - Oppose
08% - Don’t know
b. Requiring businesses to offer private health insurance for their employees
70% - Favor
27% - Oppose
03% - Don’t know
c. Offering uninsured Americans income tax deductions, tax credits, or other financial assistance to help them purchase private health insurance on their
own
73% - Favor
24% - Oppose
03% - Don’t know
d. Expanding Medicare to cover people between the ages of 55 and 64 who do
not have health insurance
74% - Favor
23% - Oppose
02% - Don’t know
e. Expanding state government programs for low-income people, such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, to provide coverage for people without health insurance
80% - Favor
18% - Oppose
02% - Don’t know
f. Offering businesses tax deductions, tax credits, or other financial assistance to help them provide health insurance to their employees
88% - Favor
10% - Oppose
01% - Don’t know
23a. Of those options you just said you favored, which ONE do you MOST prefer?
23% - Offering business tax deductions or other financial assistance to help them provide health insurance to their employees 17% - Offering tax deductions or other financial assistance to help the uninsured pay for private insurance
17% - Expanding state government programs, such as Medicaid to provide coverage for people without health insurance
15% - A single payer government plan to provide health insurance for
all
Americans
13% - Expanding Medicare to cover people under age 65 who do not have
health
insurance
12% - Requiring businesses to offer health insurance for their
employees
01% - Don’t favor any option
02% - Don’t know
24. Would you be willing to pay more - either in higher health insurance premiums or higher taxes - in order to increase the number of Americans who have health insurance, or not?
45% - Yes, would be willing to pay more
51% - No, would not be willing to pay more
04% - Don’t know
(The following question was asked after a question on possible reasons for rising health care costs. All reasons listed were considered important by 60% or more of respondents.)
32a. Of those factors you said are very important in causing rising health care costs, which one do you think is the MOST important reason health care costs are rising?
29% - High profits made by drug companies and insurance companies 22% - The number of malpractice lawsuits
15% - The amount of greed and waste that occurs in the health care
system
09% - The aging of the population
07% - The use of expensive, high-tech medical equipment and expensive new
drugs
05% - Doctors making too much money
04% - The fact that most people with health insurance have little incentive to look for lower-priced doctors and services
01% - Other reason is most important
05% - None of these very important
01% - All same/equally important
01% - Don’t know
http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=50265
Comment: Perhaps the most important result of this survey is that 94% of
Americans believe that dealing with health care costs is important. As activists craft the message of a better system of funding health care, we will have to be certain that each individual clearly understands how the solution addresses his or her concerns about costs. No other aspects of reform will be persuasive if this issue is not clearly and emphatically addressed.
Covering the uninsured receives much support; 89% of Americans believe that
it is important. But 51% do not believe that is important enough to pay for it. So the driving issue is not covering the uninsured; it is making health care affordable.
There is no consensus on how we should achieve universal coverage.
Question
23a confirms that opinions are all over the board.
A comment should made about question 23. Prof. Robert Blendon of Harvard has
proven by innumerable surveys that he can elicit a negative response to single payer by phrasing the choice as, “A national health plan, financed by taxpayers, in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan.” Many other surveys that include the same choice, but phrased slightly differently, produce a more positive response, placing single payer in competition with other models of reform. Although employer-sponsored plans remain the most popular form of coverage, mandating such coverage does not rank any higher than single payer as a first choice for expanding coverage.
The responses to Question 23a are very important. The results demonstrate that Americans do have opinions on the flaws in our health care system, but their opinions are incorrect! If we expect the most important opinion survey of all - the vote of the American people - to reflect their true values on health care reform, we are going to have to greatly intensify our efforts in grassroots education.
To end the inertia in the reform movement, Americans will have to understand
what is wrong with our system and what we can do to fix it so that health care will always be affordable.
Will your next step be to start contemplating your expanded role in the movement, or will it be to click the delete button?
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Subject: Gov. Bush & Gov. Schwarzenegger empowering Medicaid patients with health care ownership
Agency for Health Care Administration (Florida)
empoweredcare.com
January 11, 2005
Governor Bush Announces Plan to Transform Medicaid
Governor Bush today unveiled his plan to ensure Florida’s most vulnerable families continue to receive the quality health care they need, recommending
reforms that will empower Medicaid patients to direct their own health care as never before.
“To fulfill our commitment to Florida’s Medicaid program, we must transform it completely so that the number one priority is patient wellbeing and the last consideration is government control,” said Governor Bush. The transformation begins by empowering Medicaid participants to make choices about their own care. Health care providers will create benefit packages falling into a combination of three components: basic care, catastrophic care and flexible spending.
Participants - with the help of choice counselors - will choose the plan that best meets their needs.
http://www.empoweredcare.com/press01112005.aspx
St. Petersburg Times
January 12, 2005
“We can turn Medicaid beneficiaries into informed consumers,” (Gov.) Bush said. He said it is wrong to assume “that poor people can’t make choices for themselves.”
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/01/12/State/Gov_Bush_proposes_Med.shtml
Contra Costa Times
January 11, 2005
Governor proposes monthly Medi-Cal premiums
By Sandy Kleffman
For the first time, California would require hundreds of thousands of Medi-Cal recipients to pay a monthly premium for health care benefits under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal released Monday.
Paying a modest sum would emphasize personal responsibility and enable families to take ownership of their health care, (Health and Human Services
Agency Secretary Kim) Belshé said.
“We believe that this will cause a lot of those families to fall off of the program,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/10616511.htm
Comment: “Empowering” patients through “consumer directed health care”
is merely euphemistic code language for the policy shift from shared risk though insurance pools to direct assumption of financial risk by the individual with health care needs. Stated in simpler terms, if you’re sick, you pay!
Gov. Bush and Gov. Schwarzenegger are reducing Medicaid costs by erecting
financial barriers to care for this unfortunate sector with great needs and little funds. People will go without needed care; many will suffer and some will die. If the governors truly believe that the fiscal crises in their Medicaid programs are so severe that we must accept suffering and death to solve the problem, then they should show leadership by frankly stating so. But to bury cruel policy decisions in euphemisms is the height of dishonesty.
The tax and fiscal policy decisions may be difficult. But there are plenty of other options that would emphatically reject cruelty as an essential ingredient to health policy reform. And some of the most affordable and beneficial options are achievable through government action. Aren’t governors supposed to govern their governments?