Majority of Americans skeptical about healthcare improvement

Thomson ReutersDec 3 2009

A majority of Americans support a "public option" in healthcare reform legislation, but most lack confidence that the cost, quality, value or accessibility of medical care will improve in the next year, according to a survey released today by Thomson Reuters.

Sixty percent of survey respondents said they believe a public option should be included in final healthcare reform legislation. Only about one in five, however, believes the cost, quality or value of care will improve in the next 12 months. Twenty-three percent said they expect access to care to improve.

The results are from a telephone survey of 2,999 households conducted from November 9-17 -- a segment of the Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare Survey, the largest and longest-running survey of its kind. Each year, PULSE polls more than 100,000 U.S. households about healthcare behaviors, attitudes and utilization.

Here are the key findings:

• 18 percent of survey respondents said they expect to spend less on healthcare a year from now.
• 21 percent believe the quality of care will improve in the next 12 months.
• 18 percent believe the value of care delivered will be better in a year.
• 23 percent believe it will be easier for people to receive the care they need a year from now.
• 60 percent of Americans believe a public option should be included in final healthcare legislation. There are sharp divisions, however, along party lines: 86 percent of Democrats support the public option versus 57 percent of Independents and 33 percent of Republicans.

The survey is nationally representative and the margin of error is 1.8 percent.