Washington Post-ABC News Poll: Health Care

Monday, October 20, 2003 Note: This is a corrected version of the full results for the October 9-13, 2003 Washington Post-ABC News poll. Some results in the previous version were slightly off because a portion of the sample was improperly weighted. Weighting is a statistical procedure that ensures that the proportions of certain demographic groups-such as blacks and whites-in the sample match the actual proportion of those groups in the population, as reported by the U.S. Census. Results based on the full sample for questions 1 - 50 may vary from the original, incorrect version by up to two percentage points, with a somewhat larger variation for results in the health care section that are based on subgroups. Questions 51 - 68 were not affected. The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll is based on telephone interviews with 1,000 randomly selected adults nationwide, and was conducted Oct. 9-13, 2003. Questions about the Catholic church are based on interviews with 1,281 respondents, including an oversample of 281 Catholics. The 'Catholics only' results are thus based on a total of 504 interviews. Results representing the general public in this section were adjusted to reflect the country's actual religious distribution. The margin of sampling error for overall results is plus or minus 3 percentage points, and plus or minus 4 percentage points for results based on Catholics. Sampling error is only one of many potential sources of error in this or any other public opinion poll. Interviewing was conducted by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa. *= less than 0.5 percent 10. Thinking about health care in the country as a whole, are you generally satisfied or dissatisfied with the quality of health care in this country? Would you say you are very (satisfied/dissatisfied) or somewhat (satisfied/dissatisfied)? ------Satisfied------- -----Dissatisfied----- No NET Very Smwt. NET Smwt. Very opinion 10/13/03 44 20 24 54 21 34 1 9/13/00* 54 NA NA 44 NA NA 2 5/12/93 51 NA NA 46 NA NA 3 *9/13/00 and previous: Gallup. 11. And are you generally satisfied or dissatisfied with the total cost of health care in this country? Would you say you are very (satisfied/dissatisfied) or somewhat (satisfied/dissatisfied)? ------Satisfied------- -----Dissatisfied----- No NET Very Smwt. NET Smwt. Very opinion 10/13/03 20 7 14 78 23 55 1 11/14/02* 22 NA NA 75 NA NA 3 11/11/01 28 NA NA 71 NA NA 1 5/12/93 8 NA NA 90 NA NA 2 *11/14/02 and previous: Gallup. 12. Do you have some form of health insurance or health care coverage, or not? Yes No No Opinion 10/13/03 83 17 0 7/12/98 86 14 * 8/27/97 81 19 * 11/13/95 85 15 0 7/17/94 86 14 * 11/14/93 87 13 0 10/10/93 87 13 * 13. (IF INSURED) Are you mainly covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or do you have private medical insurance? (IF NEEDED: Medicare is the government health insurance program for people 65 and over. Medicaid is the government health insurance program for low-income families.) ---------Have health insurance--------- No No NET M'care M'caid Private Oth.(v.) insurance op. 10/13/03 Gen Pop 83 16 4 63 NA 17 0 All Cov 100 19 4 76 NA NA 1 7/12/98 Gen Pop 86 15 4 65 NA 14 * All Cov 100 18 5 76 NA NA 1 8/27/97 Gen Pop 81 13 3 64 NA 19 1 All Cov 100 16 3 79 NA NA 1 11/13/95 Gen Pop 85 15 3 63 4 15 * All Cov 100 18 3 74 5 NA * 14. (IF PRIVATELY INSURED) There are three main types of private health insurance. There are traditional fee-for-service plans where you go to any doctor you want and the insurance company pays part of the cost. There are Preferred Provider Organizations that pay higher reimbursement if you go to a doctor on the insurance company's list. And there are Health Maintenance Organizations, or HMOs, where you can only go to HMO doctors, and nearly all costs are covered. Which type of plan do you have - traditional insurance, preferred provider, or HMO? ----Have health insurance----- No No NET Traditional PPO HMO insurance opin. 10/13/03 Gen Pop 83 14 27 21 17 0 All Cov 100 17 32 25 NA x All Pri 100 23 42 33 NA 2 7/12/98 Gen Pop 86 16 24 23 14 * All Cov 100 19 28 27 NA 2 All Pri 100 25 37 36 NA 2 8/27/97 Gen Pop 81 20 22 21 19 1 All Cov 100 24 27 26 NA 2 All Pri 100 30 34 33 NA 2 11/13/95 Gen Pop 85 27 18 16 15 2 All Cov 100 32 21 19 NA 2 All Pri 100 43 29 26 NA 2 12/13/14 NET ------------------Insured---------------------- ----------Private-------- Not No NET M'care M'caid NET Trad PPO HMO Insured opin 10/13/03 83 16 4 63 14 27 21 17 0 7/12/98 86 15 4 65 16 24 23 14 * 8/27/97 81 13 3 64 20 22 21 19 * 11/13/95 85 15 3 63 27 18 16 15 * 15. (IF INSURED) How would you rate your overall health insurance coverage - excellent, good, not so good or poor? -------Positive------- ---------Negative--------- No NET Excellent Good NET Not so good Poor op. 10/13/03 ALL COV 82 30 52 17 13 4 * ALL PRI 82 30 52 17 14 3 1 TRAD 89 34 54 11 8 3 * PPO 86 33 52 13 11 3 1 HMO 75 23 52 25 22 3 0 MED/MED 81 28 52 19 11 9 0 8/27/97 All Cov 85 27 58 14 9 4 1 All Pri 86 28 58 13 9 4 1 Trad 88 25 63 11 8 4 1 PPO 85 30 56 15 10 5 * HMO 87 30 56 12 8 4 1 Med/Med 82 21 61 16 11 4 3 11/13/95 All Cov 88 33 55 11 6 4 1 All Pri 87 35 52 12 7 5 1 Trad 85 34 51 14 6 8 1 PPO 88 34 53 11 6 5 1 HMO 89 39 50 11 9 2 1 Med/Med 91 26 65 8 6 2 * 8/7/94 All Cov 84 32 52 14 10 4 2 7/28/91 All Pri 79 25 54 19 15 5 5 Med/Med 71 19 52 25 18 8 4 16. For each specific item I name, please tell me whether you are very satisfied with it, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. 10/13/03 - Summary Table --Satisfied-- -Dissatisfied- No NET Very Smwt. NET Smwt. Very op. a. The quality of the health care you receive All 85 51 34 14 9 5 1 All Cov 88 53 35 11 7 3 1 b. Your health care costs, including both uninsured expenses and the cost of your insurance, if any All 57 21 36 40 18 22 2 All Cov 64 23 41 35 19 17 1 c. Your ability to get a doctor's appointment when you want one All 82 52 30 18 9 9 1 All Cov 84 53 31 15 8 7 * d. Your ability to see top-quality medical specialists, if you ever need one All 77 44 33 19 10 9 4 All Cov 82 48 34 14 8 6 4 e. Your ability to get the latest, most sophisticated medical treatments All 76 40 36 19 12 7 4 All Cov 81 42 38 15 11 5 4 Trend: a. The quality of the health care you receive ----Satisfied---- ---Dissatisfied--- No NET Very Smwt. NET Smwt. Very opin. 10/13/03 All 85 51 34 14 9 5 1 All Cov 88 53 35 11 7 3 1 All Pri 90 54 36 10 8 2 * Trad 91 57 34 9 7 1 1 PPO 94 60 34 6 3 2 0 HMO 84 43 41 15 14 2 1 Med/Med 84 50 33 13 6 7 3 7/12/98 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 83 47 36 15 10 5 2 All Pri 83 48 35 15 11 4 2 Trad 87 58 29 11 9 3 2 PPO 86 49 37 13 10 3 1 HMO 80 40 40 19 13 6 1 Med/Med 81 45 36 14 7 7 4 8/27/97 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 90 52 38 9 7 2 1 All Pri 90 53 37 9 7 2 * Trad 92 55 37 8 6 2 1 PPO 92 53 38 7 7 * 1 HMO 88 52 36 12 8 3 0 Med/Med 88 47 41 10 6 4 2 11/13/95 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 93 65 29 6 4 2 * All Pri 93 64 29 7 5 2 * Trad 97 65 32 3 2 2 0 PPO 93 64 29 7 5 1 0 HMO 86 63 24 14 10 4 1 Med/Med 95 66 29 4 2 2 * 7/17/94 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 85 55 30 14 9 5 1 2/8/94 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 82 46 36 16 8 8 2 b. Your health care costs, including both uninsured expenses and the cost of your insurance, if any ------Satisfied------- -----Dissatisfied----- No NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very opin. 10/13/03 ALL 57 21 36 40 18 22 2 ALL COV 64 23 41 35 19 17 1 ALL PRI 63 20 42 36 20 16 1 TRAD 65 24 41 34 19 14 1 PPO 64 18 46 35 19 16 1 HMO 59 19 40 41 22 19 * MED/MED 66 29 37 32 15 17 2 8/27/97 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 73 31 41 26 14 12 1 All Pri 72 31 41 27 15 12 1 Trad 65 23 42 35 17 18 * PPO 71 28 43 28 17 11 * HMO 79 40 39 20 13 8 1 Med/Med 75 32 43 23 11 12 2 11/13/95 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 75 35 40 24 15 9 1 All Pri 73 32 41 26 16 11 1 Trad 67 26 41 32 19 13 1 PPO 74 32 41 27 15 12 0 HMO 81 40 41 18 11 7 2 Med/Med 80 42 38 19 13 6 1 7/17/94* Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 68 37 30 31 16 15 1 2/8/94* Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 61 29 32 36 16 20 3 * "Your health care costs, including insurance" c. Your ability to get a doctor's appointment when you want one ------Satisfied------- -----Dissatisfied----- No NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very opin. 10/13/03 ALL 82 52 30 18 9 9 1 ALL COV 84 53 31 15 8 7 * ALL PRI 85 54 31 15 8 7 * TRAD 90 61 30 9 4 4 1 PPO 86 53 33 14 8 6 0 HMO 79 49 30 20 10 10 1 MED/MED 83 50 33 16 9 7 1 8/27/97 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 85 55 31 14 9 5 1 All Pri 85 52 33 15 10 5 * Trad 87 53 34 13 8 5 0 PPO 85 53 32 14 10 4 * HMO 83 50 33 17 11 6 0 Med/Med 86 65 21 12 6 5 2 11/13/95 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 89 62 27 11 6 5 * All Pri 88 59 30 12 7 5 * Trad 91 58 33 9 4 5 0 PPO 89 63 26 10 7 3 * HMO 82 53 29 18 11 7 1 Med/Med 92 74 17 7 4 4 1 d. Your ability to see top-quality medical specialists, if you ever need one ------Satisfied------- -----Dissatisfied----- No NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very opin. 10/13/03 ALL 77 44 33 19 10 9 4 ALL COV 82 48 34 14 8 6 4 ALL PRI 84 49 35 13 8 5 3 TRAD 89 57 32 9 4 5 3 PPO 88 58 30 10 6 4 3 HMO 78 33 45 18 13 5 4 MED/MED 76 42 33 20 9 10 5 8/27/97 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 85 47 38 12 7 5 3 All Pri 86 47 38 12 7 5 2 Trad 90 51 39 8 4 4 2 PPO 88 50 38 9 6 3 3 HMO 81 42 39 17 10 8 2 Med/Med 81 46 34 14 9 5 5 11/13/95 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 87 60 27 10 6 4 3 All Pri 87 57 30 11 7 4 3 Trad 92 61 31 6 3 2 2 PPO 86 60 26 11 6 4 4 HMO 78 48 30 20 14 6 2 Med/Med 90 72 18 6 3 3 4 e. Your ability to get the latest, most sophisticated medical treatments ------Satisfied------- -----Dissatisfied----- No NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very opin. 10/13/03 ALL 76 40 36 19 12 7 4 ALL COV 81 42 38 15 11 5 4 ALL PRI 82 44 38 14 10 4 4 TRAD 82 43 38 15 12 3 3 PPO 87 48 39 8 6 2 5 HMO 76 37 39 21 15 6 3 MED/MED 75 37 38 19 12 7 6 8/27/97 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 86 43 43 12 8 4 3 All Pri 87 42 45 11 8 3 2 Trad 87 44 43 11 8 3 2 PPO 90 43 47 8 6 2 3 HMO 84 41 43 16 11 5 * Med/Med 83 45 38 12 8 5 4 11/13/95 Gen Pop NA NA NA NA NA NA NA All Cov 89 55 34 8 6 2 3 All Pri 89 52 37 8 7 1 3 Trad 92 53 39 6 5 1 2 PPO 87 55 32 9 8 1 4 HMO 86 49 37 10 9 1 4 Med/Med 90 64 26 7 2 4 3 17. (IF INSURED) How familiar are you with the terms and conditions of your health insurance plan, including costs and limitations on coverage, if any - very familiar, somewhat familiar, not too familiar, or not familiar at all? ------Familiar------- -------Not familiar------ No NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opin. 10/13/03 84 36 48 16 11 5 * 18. (IF INSURED) Do you have a variety of choices for health insurance - that is, different plans and options to choose from - or only one choice? Variety One choice No opinion 10/13/03 56 42 2 19.(IF CHOICES, Q18) How familiar are you with different health care plans and options that are available for you to choose from - very familiar, somewhat familiar, not too familiar, or not familiar at all? ------Familiar------- -------Not familiar------ No NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opin. 10/13/03 82 34 48 18 14 4 * 20. (IF INSURED) Have you or has anyone in your immediate family had a serious illness or injury under your current health insurance plan? Yes No No opinion 10/13/03 ALL COV 33 67 * ALL PRI 29 71 * TRAD 32 68 0 PPO 30 70 0 HMO 22 78 * MED/MED 48 52 0 8/27/97 All Cov 33 67 * All Pri 30 70 * Trad 34 66 * PPO 28 72 0 HMO 27 73 * Med/Med 48 51 1 11/13/95 All Cov 35 65 * All Pri 32 68 * Trad 31 69 0 PPO 39 61 0 HMO 28 71 1 Med/Med 48 52 0 21. (IF INSURED) Have you or has anyone in your immediate family had a chronic, ongoing illness that requires medical care under your current health insurance plan? Yes No No opinion 10/13/03 ALL COV 20 80 * ALL PRI 19 81 * TRAD* PPO 21 79 * HMO 20 80 0 MED/MED* *Insufficient n. 22. (IF SERIOUS ILLNESS, INJURY, OR CHRONIC ILLNESS) How satisfied are you with the medical care that you or your family member received during that time - very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied? ------Satisfied------- -----Dissatisfied----- No NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very op. 10/13/03 ALL COV 92 68 24 8 5 4 0 ALL PRI 92 67 25 8 5 3 0 TRAD* PPO 93 64 30 7 4 3 0 HMO* MED/MED 91 66 24 9 3 6 0 8/27/97 All Cov 89 65 24 11 5 6 0 All Pri 90 64 26 10 5 5 0 Trad 93 68 25 7 3 4 0 PPO 89 62 27 11 8 3 0 HMO 88 65 22 12 5 7 0 Med/Med 88 67 21 13 5 8 0 *Insufficient n. 23. (IF SERIOUS ILLNESS, INJURY, OR CHRONIC ILLNESS) And how satisfied are you with your insurance coverage during that time - very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied? ------Satisfied------- -----Dissatisfied----- No NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very op. 10/13/03 ALL COV 87 59 28 12 8 4 1 ALL PRI 87 62 25 13 8 5 * TRAD* PPO 86 61 25 14 9 5 0 HMO* MED/MED 89 53 36 10 8 2 2 8/27/97 All Cov 86 59 26 14 10 4 * All Pri 86 58 29 14 10 4 0 Trad 86 59 28 14 12 2 0 PPO 89 54 34 11 6 5 0 HMO 84 62 22 16 9 6 0 Med/Med 87 65 22 12 9 3 1 *Insufficient n. 24. Within the last 12 months, have you or a member of your family put off any sort of medical treatment because of the cost you would have to pay? Yes No No opinion 10/13/03 24 76 * 11/14/02* 25 75 * 11/11/01 19 81 * 1/6/91 22 77 1 *11/14/02 and previous: Gallup 25. (IF PUT OFF MEDICAL TREATMENT, Q24) When this medical treatment was delayed, was it for a condition or illness that was very serious, somewhat serious, not very serious, or not at all serious? ------Serious------ ------ Not Serious------ NET Very Somewhat NET Not very Not at all No opin. 10/13/03 68 19 49 31 25 6 1 11/14/02* 59 16 43 40 31 9 1 11/11/01 62 15 47 36 23 13 2 1/6/91 52 15 37 47 37 10 1 *11/14/02 and previous: Gallup 24/25 NET: Did not ---------------Put Off Treatment----------------- put off No NET Serious NET Very serious Somewhat Not NET treatment op. 10/13/03 24 16 5 12 7 76 * 11/14/02* 25 15 4 11 10 75 * 11/11/01 19 12 3 9 7 82 * 1/6/91 22 11 3 8 10 77 1 *11/14/02 and previous: Gallup 26. (IF INSURED) Does it seem to you that your costs for health insurance premiums have been going up lately, holding steady or going down? IF UP: Have they been going up a lot, or somewhat? ----------Up----------- No NET A lot Smwt. Steady Down opin. 10/13/03 67 32 35 29 2 3 26a. (IF PRIVATELY INSURED) Do you or does someone in your family have an employer who helps you pay for your health insurance coverage, or not? Yes No No opinion 10/13/03 77 23 * 27. (IF EMPLOYER HELPS PAY, Q26a) Thinking about the past few years, would you say that your employer is paying more of the cost of your health insurance coverage, paying less of the cost of your coverage, or paying about the same amount? IF LESS: Is that MUCH less or SOMEWHAT less? --------Less--------- No More NET Much Smwt. Same opin. 10/13/03 27 24 6 17 45 4 28. (IF INSURED) How about your deductible and co-pay - that is, the amount you have to pay for medical services above and beyond what insurance covers. Does it seem to you that your deductible and co-pay expenses have been going up lately, holding steady or going down? IF UP: Have they been going up a lot, or somewhat? ----------Up----------- No NET A lot Smwt. Steady Down opin. 10/13/03 45 16 29 49 2 4 29. (IF PRIVATELY INSURED) What do you think about the possibility that you might lose your health insurance because of the loss of a job - is that something you're very worried about, somewhat worried, not so worried or not worried about at all? -------Worried------- ------Not worried------- No NET Very Smwt. NET Not so At all opin. 10/13/03 54 31 23 46 17 29 * 30. (IF INSURED) What do you think about being able to afford the cost of your health care insurance over the next few years - is that something you're very worried about, somewhat worried, not so worried or not worried about at all? -------Worried------- ------Not worried------- No NET Very Smwt. NET Not so At all opin. 10/13/03 60 27 33 39 20 19 * 31. (IF INSURED) Would you say your health insurance plan tends to (pay your medical expenses without much problem), or would you say your health insurance plan tends to (give you a difficult time about paying for medical expenses)? Without Difficult No problem Time opinion 10/13/03 ALL COV 81 18 2 ALL PRI 80 18 1 TRAD 85 12 3 PPO 81 18 1 HMO 77 21 1 MED/MED 82 16 3 8/27/97 All Cov 82 14 3 All Pri 81 15 3 Trad 79 18 3 PPO 80 16 3 HMO 85 12 2 Med/Med 86 10 4 32. (IF INSURED) Has your health insurance plan ever refused to pay for all or part of a medical treatment that you believe should have been fully covered, or not? Yes No No opinion 10/13/03 All Cov 29 69 2 All Pri 31 68 2 Trad 24 75 1 PPO 31 68 2 HMO 35 63 2 Med/Med 24 74 3 7/12/98 All Cov 28 69 3 All Pri 30 68 2 Trad 26 74 1 PPO 33 66 1 HMO 29 67 3 Med/Med 22 72 6 8/27/97 All Cov 23 75 2 All Pri 24 74 2 Trad 28 70 2 PPO 27 71 2 HMO 18 81 2 Med/Med 19 78 3 33. (IF REFUSED TO PAY, Q32) Has that happened often, occasionally, rarely or almost never? Often Occasionally Rarely Almost Never No op. 10/13/03 ALL COV 14 39 34 13 0 ALL PRI 11 39 37 13 0 TRAD* PPO* HMO* MED/MED* 8/27/97 All Cov 17 32 30 20 1 All Pri 17 32 32 18 1 Trad 16 30 32 21 1 PPO 20 35 32 12 1 HMO 14 31 34 19 1 Med/Med 19 31 19 28 2 *Insufficient n. 34. (IF REFUSED TO PAY, Q32) When it's happened, have you tried to fight it or not? Tried Did not try No opinion 10/13/03 ALL COV 58 42 0 ALL PRI 64 36 0 TRAD* PPO* HMO* MED/MED* 8/27/97 All Cov 58 41 * All Pri 60 39 * Trad 56 43 1 PPO 65 35 0 HMO 56 44 0 Med/Med 46 54 0 *Insufficient n. 35. (IF FOUGHT IT, Q34) After fighting it did you get better coverage or not? Got better Did not get No coverage better coverage opinion 10/13/03 ALL COV 27 72 * ALL PRI 27 72 1 TRAD* PPO* HMO* MED/MED* 8/27/97 All Cov 34 57 8 All Pri 37 55 9 Trad 34 55 10 PPO 39 52 8 HMO 30 65 8 Med/Med 20 68 8 *Insufficient n. 36. Do you think the health care system in this country is or is not heading toward rationing, in which an increasing number of medical treatments that currently are covered by insurance will no longer be covered because they are too costly, not essential or have too little chance of success? Yes No No opinion 10/13/03 64 25 10 37. Would you personally support or oppose the rationing of health care in this way? Support Oppose No opinion 10/13/03 15 80 6 38. Canada has a universal health care system run by the government that covers all people. Compared to Canada, do you think the overall health care system in the United States is better, worse or about the same? Better Worse Same No opinion 10/13/03 29 37 23 11 39. How about in terms of (READ ITEM) - in that area, compared to Canada, do you think the health care system in the United States is better, worse or about the same? 10/13/03 - Summary Table Better Worse Same No opin. a. The quality of medical care that most people get 33 16 33 17 b. The cost of medical care and coverage 17 42 21 20 c. The availability of health coverage 26 33 23 17 40. Medicare is the government health insurance program for people 65 and over. What kind of Medicare program would you prefer - (the main Medicare program now, which lets you use any doctor but does not pay for prescription drugs); or (an HMO Medicare plan, which limits your choice of doctors but does pay for prescription drugs)? Main HMO No Medicare Medicare opinion 10/13/03 39 57 4 41. Would you support or oppose a new federal program that would help pay prescription drug expenses for senior citizens, at a cost of 400 billion dollars over the next 10 years? Support Oppose No opinion 10/13/03 75 19 6 7/27/03 76 18 6 42 (IF SUPPORT, Q41) Would you be willing or unwilling to pay higher taxes to fund that program? Willing Not willing No opinion 10/13/03 79 21 * 7/27/03 71 27 2 41/42NET: --------------Support--------------- Would pay Wouldn't pay NET higher taxes higher taxes DK Oppose No op. 10/13/03 75 59 16 1 19 6 7/27/03 76 54 20 2 18 6 43. Have you or has anyone in your household ever bought prescription drugs from Canada or from another foreign country in order to get a better price, or not? Yes No No opinion 10/13/03 12 88 * 44. Some people say it should be legal for Americans to buy prescription drugs from Canada, Europe, and other industrialized countries because they're less expensive. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it should be illegal because imported drugs may be less safe and effective. What do you think - should it be legal or illegal for Americans to buy prescription drugs from Canada, Europe, and other industrialized countries? Legal Illegal No opinion 10/13/03 69 28 2 4 6. Which of these do you think is more important: (providing health care coverage for all Americans, even if it means raising taxes) or (holding down taxes, even if it means some Americans do not have health care coverage)? Providing healthcare Holding down No for all Americans taxes opinion 10/13/03 79 17 4 12/15/99 71 26 3 47. Which would you prefer - (the current health insurance system in the United States, in which most people get their health insurance from private employers, but some people have no insurance); or (a universal health insurance program, in which everyone is covered under a program like Medicare that's run by the government and financed by taxpayers?) Current Universal No opinion 10/13/03 33 62 6 48. (IF UNIVERSAL, Q47) Would you support or oppose a universal health insurance program if it limited your own choice of doctors? Support Oppose No opinion 10/13/03 57 41 2 Q47/48 NET: --------------Universal-------------- ------IF LIMITED CHOICE------ Current NET Support Oppose DK/REF No op. 10/13/03 33 62 35 25 1 6 49. (IF UNIVERSAL, Q47) Would you support or oppose a universal health insurance program if it meant there were waiting lists for some non-emergency treatments? Support Oppose No opinion 10/13/03 62 33 5 Q47/49 NET: --------------Universal-------------- ------IF WAITING LISTS------- Current NET Support Oppose DK/REF No op. 10/13/03 33 62 38 21 3 6 50. Finally on this subject, do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the health care plans known as Health Maintenance Organizations, or HMOs? Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 10/13/03 Gen Pop 40 47 13 All Cov 41 46 13 All Pri 42 46 11 Trad 36 54 10 PPO 32 55 12 HMO 60 31 9 Med/Med 39 45 16 7/12/98 Gen Pop 30 52 18 All Cov 31 53 16 All Pri 32 55 13 Trad 24 61 14 PPO 27 60 13 HMO 45 47 8 Med/Med 28 47 24





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