New Poll: American Attitudes on Health Insurance
When it comes to health insurance, Americans want better access for everyone and a choice of plans, but they don't necessarily want to pay for them. That was one finding from a new study published in the online edition of the journal Health Affairs (healthaffairs.org) that examined Americans' attitudes toward providing and paying for health insurance. Researchers at the University of Chicago's National Organization for Research asked more than 1,500 Americans about their views. Other findings include:
–Less than half of respondents (42 percent) agreed that individuals should pay more of the routine costs of their care. Only 27 percent said they believed consumers should pay part of the rising cost of care so that they'll be encouraged to shop around more.
–More than half of respondents (52 percent) said that basic health insurance should be mandatory. The majority of the uninsured, however, disagreed, with 76 percent of them supporting individual choice.
–The majority of respondents (87 percent) said they believed that health insurance premiums shouldn't vary because of someone's health status. But they also believed that individuals should be financially responsible for their health in certain instances. Sixty percent said that people who smoke should pay more, for example, and 29 percent said that obese people's premiums should be higher.
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