A majority of U.S. people feel the country’s health care system is not managed properly, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Public approval of the American healthcare system has reached very low levels. Health care is managed “very or extremely well,” according to about 12% of respondents, and “quite well,” according to 32%.
“Navigating the American health care system is incredibly frustrating,” A. According to Mark Fendrick, the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan’s.
The COVID pandemic, he claimed, “has just made things worse.”
A little more than two-thirds of those surveyed agreed that the federal government should play a role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and praised the efforts made in research, therapies, and vaccinations. Although younger adults and Republicans generally supported these initiatives as well, older adults and Democrats were considerably more enthusiastic.
In addition, almost 8 out of 10 respondents to the survey stated that they are at least “moderately concerned” about having access to high-quality healthcare when they need it. More particular, compared to 44% of white individuals, 6 in 10 Black and Hispanic persons said they were “very or extremely concerned” about receiving good treatment.
In comparison to 42% of males, nearly 53% of women stated they were very or extremely anxious about getting high-quality care.
The cost of prescription drugs, the standard of nursing home care, and the nation’s management of mental health care received bad marks from the poll’s respondents as well. About 6% of adults believed the nation does a good job providing those health services.
Americans expressed support for some policies but disagreeing with others when it came to fixing the healthcare system.
A little more than half of respondents agreed that the government should have a bigger role in providing healthcare for seniors. They said that in addition to private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid should cover continued living assistance for senior citizens. Several measures to cover the costs of long-term care and caregiving also had bipartisan support.
The majority of adults—roughly 75%—said they would choose supplementary or Medicare Advantage long-term care insurance. The majority—roughly two-thirds—are in favour of either a government-run long-term care insurance programme, government assistance for low-income individuals to get long-term care at home, or a Social Security wages credit for caring for a loved one.
Across all age ranges, racial and ethnic groups, and party affiliations, the idea of expanding Medicare coverage for certain services was highly supported. More than 80% of respondents agreed that Medicare should be expanded to include long-term care, hearing aids, dental treatment, and eye exams.
In addition, over 66% of respondents believed that the federal government should guarantee that all Americans have access to health insurance. Adults between the ages of 18 and 49 were more likely to express that opinion than adults over 50. The total proportion that favours the federal government’s involvement in health care has increased recently as compared to earlier AP-NORC polls; it was 57% in 2019 and 52% in 2017.
A single-payer healthcare system that mandates that people receive their health insurance from a government plan was backed by about 40% of adults, while a new government health insurance plan that anyone may purchase was backed by 58% of adults. Two-thirds of respondents believed that Americans should pay less for health care even if it means increasing their tax burden.
The poll, which was conducted between July 28 and August 1, interviewed 1,500 respondents across the country.
