More than half of California voters are worried about the state's health care system and nearly three-quarters said they would have approved a health system overhaul proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) last year, according to a Field Poll survey released on Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Yi, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/28).
The Field Poll was based on a telephone survey of 1,202 registered California voters between March 12 and March 30 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
The survey found that:
- 59% of California voters are concerned about not being able to afford the costs associated with a serious illness or injury, compared with 48% in a 2006 survey;
- 58% are concerned about having to pay more out-of-pocket costs for health care, compared with 40% in 2006;
- 57% are concerned about not having or potentially losing their health care coverage; and
- 51% of voters said they are very concerned about not having access to quality physicians and health care services, up from 40% in 2006.
In addition, 39% of state voters believe California's health care system will be worse in five years, 38% said they think it will be about the same, 13% said they think it will be better and 10% said they have no opinion, according to the poll.
Support for Schwarzenegger-Nunez Plan
The survey also found support for the major elements of compromise health care reform legislation negotiated by Schwarzenegger and state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D). The Senate Health Committee rejected the bill in January.
According to the poll: