US consumers torn between health insurance coverage and rising health care costs

DSS Research, the leader in market research for the health insurance industry, developed a proprietary set of metrics that gauge the level of engagement in health care on the part of the consumer.  This quarter we also added questions based on the current health care crisis.

In the most recent survey, Americans were given a choice between making their first priority providing some level of health insurance coverage for all citizens or slowing down the rapidly rising costs of health care.  There is no clear cut winner between either of these important strategies for addressing the health care crises with 50.7% preferring universal coverage and 49.3% preferring slowing down rising costs.  However, there are some differences in attitudes depending upon which group of Americans you talk to.  The uninsured, least educated and lowest income households prefer focusing on health insurance coverage for all citizens while the better educated, higher income and oldest households say bending the cost curve should be the first priority. 

Results differ based on level of engagement in health care based on the DSS Health Care Engagement Index™.  The most engaged and least engaged consumers favor providing coverage for all citizens.  Those with more moderate levels of health care engagement favor slowing the rise in health care costs as the first order of business. 

Three options to solve the health care crisis stand out from the rest

We asked 1,021 US consumers which of nine practical solutions they prefer lawmakers in Washington consider to solve rising health care costs and declining access to health insurance.  Thirty-five percent of Americans surveyed said that offering tax breaks and incentives to make health insurance more affordable is their first choice to address the growing problems around health care.  Nearly two-thirds of consumers named this as their first or second choice. 

Nearly 29% would prefer the Federal government create a health insurance plan that competes on a level playing field with private health insurers.  Consumers 18 to 30 years of age are almost twice as likely as seniors (those 65 and older) to believe a government run health plan should be the first or second priority of Congress.  The 18 to 30 year olds are the only group of Americans more likely to select a government run health plan over tax breaks and incentives. 

Only 18% of consumers believe the first priority of lawmakers should be to reduce state and Federal regulations regarding health insurance and place caps on medical malpractice suits.  Almost half of seniors ranked this option as their first or second choice, choosing it much more often than younger Americans.