It is interesting that slightly more than half chose the option that involved a substantial increase in spending, because when asked what issues respondents worry about, having to pay more for health care or health insurance topped the list. The survey included this question:
“Next, I’m going to read you a list of things that some people worry about and others do not. I’d like you to tell me how worried you are about each of the following things.”
Here’s what worried the respondents:
- Having to pay more for their health care or health insurance: 74 percent worried (40 very worried; 34 somewhat worried)
- Income not keeping up with rising prices: 73 percent (42/31)
- Their health plan being more concerned about saving money for the plan than about what treatment is best for them: 67 percent (30/37)
- Not being able to afford the health-care services they think they need: 62 percent (35/27)
- The quality of health-care services they receive getting worse: 61 percent (30/31)
- Not being able to afford the prescription drugs they need: 59 percent (33/26)
- Being the victim of a terrorist attack: 51 percent (23/28)
- Losing their health-insurance coverage: 48 percent (29/19)
- Being the victim of a violent crime: 47 percent (23/24)
- Not being able to pay their rent or mortgage: 45 percent (27/18)
- Losing their savings in the stock market: 36 percent (18/18)
- Having to stay in their current job instead of taking a new job for fear of losing health benefits: 34 percent (20/14)
- Losing their job: 33 percent (18/15)
The top three issues that respondents were “not at all worried” about were:
- Having to stay in their current job instead of taking a new job for fear of losing health benefits: 46 percent
- Losing their savings in the stock market: 44 percent
- Losing their job: 44 percent
The survey is a first in a new series the Kaiser Family Foundation plans to conduct. Its website notes that “…Kaiser will track changes in the saliency of health as a political and policy priority, what the public’s priorities are for a health reform plan, and whether any candidates are breaking through with the public with their health reform plans.”
Source: “Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 - March 2007,” Kaiser Family Foundation, March 29, 2007: http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/pomr032907pkg.cfm and http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/7626.pdf