A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds that Americans continue to see their health care costs as a top policy priority for Congress. Health care prices and unexpected medical bills are a major concern. Slightly more than half of Americans polled say they have delayed or gone without health care in the last 12 months because of the cost.
When it comes to household expenses, one in four Americans are very worried about facing unexpected health care bills. Health care costs are their top household expense worry after gasoline and transportation costs, which 40 percent of Americans are very worried about. Nearly six in ten Americans (58 percent) are very worried or somewhat worried about facing unexpected medical bills.
What types of health care have people foregone? More than a third of Americans (35 percent) went without dental care in the last 12 months because of the cost. One in four went without eye care (25 percent) or a visit to the doctor (24 percent). About one in six (18 percent) went without mental health care and about one in seven (14 percent) went without hospital care.
How do Americans want Congress to address these issues? Most of the poll answers focused on people’s out-of-pocket costs and not on health care prices. Americans seem to be more focused on having Congress limit what they pay for their care than on regulating prices. What they might not appreciate is that the money to cover limits on their costs is going to have to come from somewhere. Would they want the money to come from higher taxes, or do they also support price regulation?
The public wants Congress to prioritize a limit on prescription drug price increases to the rate of inflation (61 percent) over regulation of drug prices (48 percent) for working people. Do Americans understand that a limit on drug price increases does not preclude the introductory price of a drug from being through the roof?
The public overwhelmingly supports drug price negotiation for people with Medicare; 98 percent of Democrats and 84 percent of Republicans see it as a top priority.
The public also supports out-of-pocket drug caps and caps on insulin costs as a top priority for lawmakers. But, at what cost to them? Those caps are likely to drive up overall health insurance premiums considerably if they are not combined with drug price regulation.
The public feels less strongly that policymakers continue to fund COVID-related health care costs. Only about one in four Americans believe Congressional investments in COVID health care should be a top priority.
Views of the Affordable Care Act are split along party lines. Nearly nine in ten (87 percent) Democrats see the ACA favorably, with more than four in ten of them (43 percent) saying the ACA helped them and their families. In sharp contrast, nearly eight in ten (79 percent) Republicans view the ACA unfavorably, with four in ten saying it hurt them and their families.
Overall, Americans have a negative view of long-term care facilities’ staffing levels, fees and care quality. The 25 percent of Americans with some direct familiarity with long-term care facilities have even stronger negative views of them.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- Medicare Advantage costs keep rising, with no clear benefits
- 2022: Medicare out-of-pocket costs
- 2022: What will your health care costs be in retirement?
- Costs in Medicare Advantage present barrier to care
- MedPAC: Traditional Medicare consistently costs less than Medicare Advantage
