Feature Topic: January/February 2003 Edition

Kaiser Health Poll Report: Public Opinion on the Uninsured

The American public is concerned about the issue of the uninsured. When asked in an open-ended question to name the two most important health care issues for the government to address, over one-third (35%) name issues related to health care costs, and nearly two in ten (17%) name issues related to access to care. In addition, three-quarters think that increasing the number of Americans with health insurance is a very important issue for the President and Congress to deal with.

While the public knows that the number of Americans without health insurance has increased in recent years, they are less knowledgeable about who the uninsured are. Since 1994, around half the public has incorrectly believed that the uninsured are more likely to be unemployed or to come from families where no one is employed. While many Americans recognize the problems the uninsured face in getting care, over half (52%) do not realize that the uninsured are more likely than the insured to have hospital or emergency room visits that could have been avoided.

The Public Agrees on the Goals…
Most Americans agree that access to health care is something that everyone should have. In addition, roughly two thirds agree that the federal government should guarantee health insurance coverage for every American.

But Not Necessarily the Solution…
While the public supports action to extend health insurance coverage, there is little agreement on how to solve the problem. For example, Americans are divided over whether the government should make a major or a limited effort to provide health insurance to the uninsured. When presented with a variety of policy options that would extend health insurance coverage to more Americans, the public expresses a high level of support for each option, but when asked to select the best option, no single one attracts widespread support.

Or How to Pay…
In addition to disagreement about which policy options are best, willingness to pay remains one of the toughest obstacles to providing insurance coverage for the uninsured. About half of adults say they would be willing to pay more in higher insurance premiums or taxes in order to increase the number of insured Americans, while the other half say they would not be willing to pay more.

Experiences of the uninsured:
Nearly half of those without health insurance say that the high cost of insurance is the most important reason they are uninsured. Those without health insurance are much more likely than their insured counterparts to report postponing health care, not getting care they thought they needed, and not getting prescription drugs. The uninsured are also less likely than the insured to say that they have a regular source of medical care, and much more likely to report having trouble paying medical bills. While medical bills can present a serious problem for many families, those without health insurance are more likely than those with insurance to encounter bills that have a major impact on their family.

		Note: while this last section is a brief summary of survey data that show some of the experiences of the uninsured, it is not a comprehensive analysis of the problems the uninsured face in accessing care. For more information from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, see the following reports: Sicker and Poorer: The Consequences of Being Uninsured The Uninsured and Their Access to Care, January 2003 The Uninsured in America: A Chart Book, May 2000