Consumer poll on satisfaction with health care

WASHINGTON, Mar 24, 2000 (Reuters Health) - While members of Congress from both parties scramble to pass legislation to regulate managed care plans, a new poll has found that other health issues matter more to the voting public.

The poll, conducted by Mark Penn, who surveys for President Clinton, among others, found that the top health issue for voters is the uninsured, with 29% citing it as the most important health issue that the government should address. Tied in second place, cited by 22% of respondents each, were the issues of containing health care costs and improving the quality of care and reducing medical errors.

"Securing Medicare" was the top choice of 11% of the 500 voters polled in December, while "giving people in HMOs certain rights" drew only 7% of the top marks.

The survey, conducted for the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, also found that most people are satisfied with their health care coverage. Overall, 59% of respondents said that they were very satisfied with their coverage, including 56% of those enrolled in HMOs. Only 10% of voters said they were unsatisfied.

But Penn theorized that for many people, satisfaction is less due to any actions by their health plans than to overall satisfaction with their doctors, "who in many ways serve as the embodiment of their health coverage." More than 70% of respondents said that they were "very satisfied" with their doctor, and 89% were very or somewhat satisfied.

Of the 3% who said that they were dissatisfied, "the most common reason is that the doctor is too busy and getting appointments is too difficult," Penn reported. But many people who are dissatisfied do not plan to switch doctors, for a variety of reasons, such as because they lack information on other doctors who might be better, they don't have enough time to find another doctor, or they do not know anyone to
ask for a referral.

Of the people who have switched doctors recently, 34% said that they chose the new professional on the basis of recommendations from family and friends, and 22% based on information provided by other doctors. Penn said that this finding suggests "that there is a shortage of readily available information for people to consult in making choices about doctors."

When asked about universal insurance coverage, a majority of respondents said that they would accept an "individual mandate" requiring people to have health insurance, a proposal first advanced by Republicans in the 1993-94 health care debate and being resurrected now by the Democratic Leadership Council in a plan unveiled Thursday.  Specifically, 61% of respondents said that they would accept such a requirement, including 70% of Democrats.

Consumerism, Technology Will Shape Health Care Profession's Next Decade

By Karen Pallarito

WESTPORT, Mar 24, 2000 (Reuters Health) - As consumers become more demanding, as the Internet speeds communications and as the work of the Human Genome Project unleashes a whole new pipeline of drugs, the healthcare profession is in store for monumental change.

That is the upshot of a "strategic assessment" published by the national hospital and health system alliance VHA Inc. and the healthcare practice of accounting and consulting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP. The report, titled Health Care 2000, identifies eight forces that are likely to alter the healthcare landscape.

"Healthcare consumers are devouring information about their health conditions as never before, particularly from the Internet," the report notes. "This increase in knowledge changes what consumers expect of their healthcare providers, from a relatively helpless 'tell me what to do' perspective, to a more empowered 'help me decide what to do' perspective."

With the growth of consumerism will come more action by government to protect patient safety and privacy and to improve healthcare and access to insurance, according to the report.

Overall, the report portrays a massive growth industry, expected to account for roughly $2.2 trillion in national expenditures, or 16.2% of the gross domestic product, by 2008.

For providers, the trends pose significant challenges, Daniel P. Bourque, group senior vice president with VHA, told Reuters Health. "The real challenge is, 'How do you meet the demand but keep your pricing low?'" he said. "We've got to change the model; the chassis is outdated."

Another difficulty, he said, will be recruiting and maintaining a workforce capable of meeting growing demand. Bourque noted that the profession is having a hard time filling information technology slots as healthcare competes with the telecommunications industry for workers. Nurses, too, are in short supply, according to the report.

The way that healthcare approaches disease also is in flux as the profession moves toward systems of early diagnosis and prevention, Bourque observed.

While genomics is paving the way for better treatment, lower healthcare costs are not in the picture. Costs to purchasers and providers will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, fueled by the aging population, more complex medical technology, new drugs, better disease detection and increased demand for service, the report predicts.

© 2001-2002 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, doing business as the Division of Cooperative Extension of University of Wisconsin-Extension. For more information, questions and comments, please contact the web manager at: flp@uwex.edu If you have trouble accessing this page, require this information in an alternative format or wish to request a reasonable accommodation because of a disability contact: flp@uwex.edu University of Wisconsin-Extension - Cooperative Extension University of Wisconsin-Extension