What Does The Public Want In Health Care?

According to a recent survey, over three in four Americans-76 percent-believe health care is in need of major reform. But Congress, the states and policy experts have found little consensus on how to address the problem.

The new poll shows that Americans are worried about rising health care costs and their effect on family budgets. The fear of having to pay for procedures out of pocket keeps 50 percent of all Americans-uninsured and those with coverage-from seeing a physician. And more middle-income families are finding it impossible to pay their increasing share of costs for health insurance offered at the workplace.

Even if job-based coverage is available now, workers are concerned whether their employer will continue to provide it in the future. The number of uninsured increased by 7 million people between 2000 and 2005-mostly full-time workers.

There is also mounting evidence of poor quality and inefficient spending in our health care system. Compared to most nations, we spend twice as much but achieve worse medical outcomes across many measures of care. Nearly 50 percent of Americans do not get recommended care when they seek treatment and many are subject to medical errors.

To help find a solution to the growing health care crisis, the National Coalition on Health Care-the nation’s largest, most broadly based nonpartisan alliance seeking health care reform, with 75 member organizations representing over 150 million people-has joined forces with CodeBlueNow!, a national, nonpartisan, grassroots organization with members in 47 states.

Together, the organizations are distributing the Health Care Values and Ideas America Opinionnaireฎ, which allows consumers to weigh in on what is important to them when it comes to health care. This new, interactive, online survey will let people share their views and track how others feel about how to improve our health care system.

“The American public has seldom been asked what is important to them in health care. This Opinionnaireฎ will permit us to find areas of common ground and to let our elected officials know what our citizens want,” said Patricia Schoeni, Executive Director of the National Coalition.