For Immediate Release
Adults More Concerned About Rising Cost of U.S. Healthcare Than Iraq War
ASQ Survey Shows Overwhelming Support for Universal Coverage
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 19, 2007 – The rising cost of U.S. healthcare is a pressing concern for 85 percent of U.S. adults[1], according to a recent survey sponsored by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and conducted by Harris Interactive®. In fact, healthcare costs overtake U.S. adults’ concern for other hot button issues including the war in Iraq (79 percent), the rising cost of fuel (80 percent) and the threat of global warming (61 percent).
These findings contrast with results of a recent New York Times/CBS Poll that ranked Iraq as America’s top overall issue. The issue of universal healthcare coverage wins even stronger approval in the ASQ survey which found that 79 percent of adults believe universal coverage would improve healthcare quality. According to the ASQ survey, nearly nine in 10 (88 percent) adults think being able to go to any doctor would also improve the quality of their healthcare over the next five years.
“It’s clear that Americans are getting hit hard by our current healthcare crisis and they are looking for change,” said Dr. Jim Levett, ASQ Healthcare Division officer. “This survey shows the increasing importance for both the U.S. administration – as well as healthcare organizations across the country – to look for new solutions to improve the quality of healthcare while still managing escalating costs.”
Other survey findings:
- More than one in four U.S. adults have not filled a prescription (29 percent) or have delayed a medical procedure due to expense (28 percent). Those most likely to not fill a prescription are adults who live in the southern United States (35 percent South, vs. 24 percent Northeast, 25 percent Midwest and 27 percent West). The South is where health insurance coverage is the lowest, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Women are more likely than men to think universal healthcare coverage would improve the quality of healthcare over the next 5 years (83 percent women vs. 75 percent men). This could correlate to the finding that women (38 percent) are more likely than men (19 percent) to have failed to fill a prescription due to expense and women (34 percent) are also more likely than men (22 percent) to delay medical procedures due to expense.
- 68 percent of adults indicated that they thought it would improve the quality of healthcare over the next 5 years if individuals became less dependent on health insurance companies for the cost of their own healthcare. Men (71 percent) are more likely than women (66 percent) to indicate that they thought lower dependency would improve healthcare quality.
- 39 percent of adults said they would be concerned/very concerned about medical errors occurring if they were hospitalized.
- 80 percent of U.S. adults visited the doctor within the past year.
ASQ commissioned this survey in an effort to provide healthcare quality professionals with a better understanding of the most pressing healthcare quality and cost concerns that are affecting patients today.
About the Survey
Harris Interactive fielded the online survey within the United States on behalf of the American Society for Quality between February 26 and February 28, 2007 among 2,758 U.S. adults 18 years of age or older. Figures for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. The data were also weighted to be representative of the online population of U.S. adults.
With a pure probability sample of 2,758, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points Sampling error for sub samples may be higher and varies. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novartris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com
About American Society for Quality
The American Society for Quality www.asq.org is the world's leading authority on quality. With more than 90,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. ASQ is also a leader in providing resources, training, certification and networking opportunities to professionals in healthcare. Quality professionals across all segments of healthcare use ASQ’s resources to improve quality of care, patient safety and satisfaction, organizational efficiencies and the bottom line. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the 60-year-old organization is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report
1 Those who say they are very concerned/concerned.
