Health care costs rank among top economic problems for U.S. residents

Health care costs are among the top economic problems experienced by U.S. residents, according to a poll released on Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Los Angeles Times reports. For the poll, a nationally representative sample of 2,003 adults was interviewed by telephone between April 3 and 13. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

According to the poll, 28% of U.S. residents said that they or their families have had a serious problem paying for health care or health insurance because of recent changes in the economy. Twenty-nine percent said they had difficulty finding a good-paying job or getting a raise. According to the poll, 44% of U.S. residents said paying for gasoline was a serious problem (Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times, 4/29). Paying rent or a mortgage was a serious problem for 19% of U.S. residents. Both paying for food and paying off debt were serious problems for 18%, according to the poll (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/29).

Additional Findings

The poll also found that in the past year, 23% of U.S. residents said they or a member of their household had either decided to stay with a current employer, instead of accepting a new job, or had switched jobs because of health insurance coverage. In addition, 7% of respondents said that they, or someone in their household, had decided to get married to obtain health insurance through their spouse. "It's a small number but a powerful result, because it shows how paying for health care is reflected not only in family budgets but in life decisions," Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said of the marriage finding (Los Angeles Times, 4/29).

In addition, the poll found that in the past year, 42% of people said that they, or someone in their household, have experienced at least one of the following five specific consequences due to cost. Twenty-nine percent said they had put off or postponed needed care in the past year, according to the poll (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 4/29). The poll found that 24% of people had skipped a test or treatment in the past year, an increase from 17% in 2005 (Sack, New York Times, 4/29). Nearly a quarter of people did not fill a prescription because of cost, the poll found (Freking, AP/Contra Costa Times, 4/29). The poll also found that 19% had skipped doses of medication or cut pills in half and 8% had problems receiving mental health care.

According to the poll, 37% of U.S. residents reported at least one of six financial troubles over the past five years as a result of medical bills:

• 20% had difficulties paying other bills;
• 20% were contacted by a collection agency;
• 17% had used all or most of their savings;
• 12% were unable to pay for basic necessities, such as food, heat or housing;
• 10% had to borrow money; and
• 3% declared bankruptcy (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 4/29).

Altman said, "It is surprising to see that problems paying for health care are right up there with the top pocketbook issues that average Americans are facing and are much higher than some of the other problems you'd expect to see at the top of the list" (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/29).

The poll is available online.

2008 Election Issues Poll Update

The Kaiser Family Foundation also released its April update of the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 -- the seventh in the series that looks at voters' views of how health care fits in among issues in the 2008 presidential election. The poll found that the economy ranks highest among election issues, followed by the Iraq war and health care, respectively (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 4/29). The poll found that among independents, 46% said that presidential candidates should address health care costs, up from 37% in February, while 25% of independents said the candidates should find a way to cover the nation's 47 million uninsured, down from 32% in February. "The general election is going to be a contest for independent voters," Altman said, adding, "To appeal to independent voters, the candidates are increasingly going to have to frame health care as an economic issue" (Los Angeles Times, 4/29).

The April update of the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 is available online.

The poll is part of a broader effort by the Kaiser Family Foundation to provide a central hub for resources and information about health policy issues in the 2008 election. More information is available online at www.health08.org.