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Healthcare Zeitgeist
Our research suggests that a majority of Americans believe that the cost of healthcare is too high. The most popular response to this issue seems to be a call for the government to either provide universal healthcare or intervene in some other way to ensure that all Americans have access to healthcare.
METHODOLOGY
In order to create a sense of the current zeitgeist around healthcare in the US and California, we relied on statistical information about healthcare attitudes and beliefs in the US and California. Specific information on Northern California was not available. We looked at majority opinions in order to calculate the predominant ideals and beliefs.
AMERICAN ATTITUDES TOWARD HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY
Recent surveys suggest that many Americans are anxious about the affordability of healthcare and health insurance. A May 2017 article in Consumer Reports suggests that Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about the cost of healthcare, citing 57% of Americans who worry whether “they and their loved ones will be able to afford insurance.” This article ties some of these concerns with worries about how preexisting conditions may or may not be covered if Congress repeals and replaces the Affordable Care Act. On a similar vein, a 2016 report claimed that “one in five [US adults] say they struggle to afford prescription drugs” and that “health care costs cause serious financial problems for more than a quarter of Americans.” (This report noted that many Americans were pleased with the quality of their health care, but these figures suggest that those who experience health care struggles find those struggles to be significant.)
AMERICAN ATTITUDES TOWARD POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
The majority of Americans believe that the government should play some role in helping Americans access affordable healthcare, though they might not agree on the extent of that role. One survey found that 78% of respondents wanted the government to ensure access to “affordable, quality care.” Another poll says that 62% of Americans prefer “guaranteeing a certain level of health coverage and financial help for senior and lower-income Americans.” For some, this means universal healthcare. Bernie Sanders recently cited a poll that found that “60% of Americans [...] support ‘expanding Medicare to provide health insurance to every American.’” These exact statistics might seem to contradict the Kaiser poll which says that 49% of respondents wanted to repeal the ACA, but together, the general sentiment is that the government needs to do something about making healthcare more affordable, even if people can’t agree how that would look.
It should be noted that most people in these surveys are looking to the federal government to help with the health care crisis, and it is hard to know whether that means that they feel any kind of personal responsibility toward solving the problems. One survey did suggest that only 18% of Americans “are very engaged in their personal health” while 17% “do not place high importance on personal health at all.” While this suggests that some people might not be as invested in healthcare concerns as others, it does not necessarily reflect the overall attitude of Americans. Another study claimed that Americans value the elderly’s access to healthcare even if it means higher government spending, and this might indicate that people view taxes as a way to help solve the issue.
CALIFORNIA ATTITUDES TOWARD HEALTHCARE
California is in a healthcare crisis. An LA Times article explains that California will lose $20 billion if the ACA were repealed, and that this is especially significant because California has acted on “the promise of health insurance reform.” Another article shows that the largest concern for most Californians is the cost of health insurance, followed by the fear of not having health insurance. Californian beliefs and attitudes seem to reflect those of the nation.
CONCLUSION
In the United States, the most significant concerns are access to affordable healthcare, access to health insurance—especially for senior citizens and those with preexisting conditions--and access to affordable drugs. The most popular proposed solution is government intervention, with a significant percentage favoring universal health care.