President Obama has made U.S. health care reform a priority for his administration and Congress seems to be in agreement. A study just released by the nonpartisan, independent research center Deloitte Center for Health Solutions makes it clear that Americans are certainly ready for a change. The 2009 Survey of Health Care Consumers study sampled a nationally representative group of more than 4,000 adults using a Web-based questionnaire.
One of the themes reflected in the research is American’s dissatisfaction with the current health care system. 80 percent of respondents said the United States health care system works poorly. 40 percent of those surveyed gave the U.S. health care system a D or F grade. 94% of those respondents stated that they think the health-care costs threaten their financial. And half or more stated they think 50% or even more of the money spent by U.S citizens on health care is actually a waste. Only 6 percent indicated that their own family is totally prepared to shoulder the financial burden they expect to face.
Another area of health care explored in this survey was respondent satisfaction with current health insurance coverage. According to those participating in the questionnaire, those most satisfied include Medicare recipients and those with military medical coverage. Only 45 percent of individual policy holders are satisfied with their health plans.
The Deloitte study points to health care consumers’ desire to step up technology related to health care delivery and information. Many consumers today turn to the Internet to seek health information. This research found that six out of ten respondents looked online for treatment options in the past year. 42% demand for access for a personal health record online that is connected to their doctor’s office. 55 percent want to be able to communicate with their doctor via email to exchange health information and get answers to questions. 68 percent of consumers are interested in home monitoring devices that enable them to check their condition and send the results to their doctor.
The Deloitte research shows that consumers are starting to seek alternative options for health care. 13 percent of those surveyed have visited a retail clinic this year and 30 percent said they would do so if it cost 50 percent or less than seeing a doctor in a doctor’s office. Eight percent of consumers have traveled for care outside of their local community as “medical tourists,” and 43 percent said they would be likely to do so if it would cost 50 percent or less than staying in their local area.
The survey suggests that consumers are open to government mandates in health care coverage. 53 percent want employers to be required to provide health insurance while 37 percent support a mandate requiring all Americans to get health insurance. 43 percent of those surveyed, however, oppose raising taxes to help cover the 46 million Americans who don’t have health coverage.
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