Survey finds health reform among top public priorities

WASHINGTON – A new survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health has found health care reform is one of Americans’ top priorities, and covering the newly unemployed is seen as particularly important.
The survey was conducted by ICR/International Communications Research and covered a nationally representative random sample of 1,628 adults age 18.
Overwhelmingly, the respondents’ top priority for President-elect Obama and Congress – cited by 73 percent – was improving the economy. But 43 percent also said health care reform is one of their top concerns, ranking it third after fighting terrorism (48 percent).
Other major priorities included reducing the federal budget deficit (39 percent), improving public schools (37 percent), working to create more clean energy sources (36 percent) and dealing with Iraq (35 percent).
Looking at specific tasks the federal government should take on, 33 percent of respondents said helping the newly unemployed afford health insurance coverage is crucial, and 31 percent said helping states cover low-income residents is a priority.
In a news release about the survey, Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman said the economic crisis “has created an unprecedented window of opportunity for health reform,” but he warned that “the window could close if policymakers cannot move fairly quickly to take advantage of the opportunity they have.”
Asked what they view as the most important pieces of health care reform, 39 percent of respondents put affordability at the top of the list, while 30 percent chose expanding coverage and 18 percent said improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of the health care system.
Almost eight in 10 Americans (78 percent) favor requiring health insurance companies to cover anyone who applies, even if they have a pre-existing condition – already the law in Rhode Island. In general, the survey found substantial support for more regulation of health insurers and of health care and prescription drug costs.
The full survey results are available at www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/.