Health care was ranked the second most important issue to focus on in this country. It also ranked highly in the polls of 1993-94 and 2009-10. The pattern? Health care was in the news a lot during these times with the possibility of reform. It is in the news a lot now with the start of actual reform. And the kickoff of the reform has been less than stellar. This poll was conducted November 7-10 this year. By that point, Americans were already exposed to some pretty bad press in relation to the ACA.
Let’s explore some of the specific findings.
General Health Care
Americans rate their own general health care higher than the overall nation’s (this result is on trend with those Gallup has received over the past decade in relation to this question).
Cost
Americans are satisfied with the cost of their own health care and view it as more reasonable that the general cost across the country. Although, the majority named cost “the most urgent health problem” in the country. So, I supposed Americans do see room for improvement here.
Quality
Quality was rated high in both cases. Seventy-nine percent were personally pleased with their quality, and 54% rated general quality across the country as good or excellent.
Change is hard. Ignorance is bliss. It’s easier to stay in plans that we think are alright than to find out how sub-par aspects actually are. Compared to other countries, the U.S. doesn’t do too well in relation to these three topics.
General Health Care
In a couple blog posts ago, I briefly discussed how the U.S. relates to other countries in term of general health care. Our perception doesn't match our reality. The reality is less than satisfactory.
Cost
“…The world’s richest country spends more of its money on health care while getting less than almost every other nation in return.” – Huffington Post
“While there is room for improvement in every country, the U.S. stands out for not getting good value for its health care dollars, ranking last despite spending $7,290 per capita on health care in 2007 compared to the $3,837 spent per capita in the Netherlands, which ranked first overall.” -- Commonwealth Fund
Quality
In one of the comparisons I looked at, the Commonwealth Fund compared the health care systems of seven industrialized countries. They were rated on quality, efficiency, access to care, equity, and life quality and expectancy. The U.S. came in last overall. In terms of quality, we were a little better at a six out of seven.
When breaking down quality, we came in 4th in regards to effective care and patient-centered care. The factor that drove down our quality score was the ability to provide safe care. We are the worst at providing safe care. Personally, I consider this to be an essential when talking about quality. We spend more than we need to and can’t even expect to be safe in the end. In fact, procedures such as C-sections and colonoscopies are performed more often than they are actually needed so that more money can be made by the health care industry. Our safety is being risked for profit.
The ACA offers consumer protections, so that things like this cannot happen. Our government, media, and the health care industry need to do a better job educating Americans about the ACA so that our perceptions of our health care can meet and improve our reality.
