12 January 2005

Survey Discusses Attitudes Regarding Health Care Agenda

2005 Survey Finds that the Public Is In Favor of Malpractice Reform and Drug Importation, But Ranks Them Low on Health Care Priority List For President and Congress

MORE INFORMATION Complete Survey Results Americans favor reducing jury awards in malpractice lawsuits and drug importation from Canada, but rank them relatively low on a list of 12 health care priorities for President Bush and Congress to address this year, according to a new post-election survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. While supporting both, the public places greater emphasis on limiting the number of lawsuits than on capping awards, and generally favors higher caps for non-economic damages than the $250,000 being discussed by President Bush. This survey of almost 1,400 adults was conducted following the November election, and found that just over a quarter (26%) of the public cites reducing malpractice jury awards as a top priority for the President and Congress, ranking 11th on the list, just ahead of increasing federal funding for stem cell research (21%). Just under a third (31%) cite allowing drugs to be imported from Canada as a top priority, ranking eighth on the priority list.

At the top of the list, almost two thirds (63%) of U.S. adults cite lowering the costs of health care and health insurance as a top priority for the President and Congress, followed by making Medicare more fiscally sound for the future (58%) and increasing the number of Americans with health insurance (57%).

Overall, U.S. adults rank health care issues third when asked to name the single most important priority for the President and Congress to address. Fewer Americans cite health care issues (10%) than the war in Iraq (27%) or economic issues (17%). Terrorism/national security (10%) tied with health care as the third-most cited issue. The survey is based on a nationally representative sample of 1,396 adults and was conducted from Nov. 4 through Nov. 28, 2004.

The survey also provides insight into public opinion on key issues likely to face the new Congress, including malpractice litigation reform, implementing the Medicare drug law, addressing health care and prescription drug costs and reducing the nation's uninsured population.

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