People are blaming the insurance industry for rising healthcare costs more than anyone else, according to a nationwide survey.
The Harris Poll conducted a survey of 2,119 U.S. adults online between October 16 and 20. The survey found that people in all demographic groups are much more likely to blame the insurance industry than anyone else, whether they are young or old, male or female, rich or poor, live in the East, Midwest, South or West or are Republican, Democrat or Independent.
When asked who is most to blame for increasing healthcare costs, 41 percent of adults held insurance companies responsible. Far fewer blamed pharmaceutical companies (16 percent), the government (16 percent), hospitals (6 percent) or physicians (4 percent).
The survey also found that a lopsided 67-percent-to-18-percent ratio of adults think it's more important to provide basic health insurance for those who are uninsured than to prove provide better benefits to those with health insurance.
While all demographic groups feel this way, the largest majorities favoring coverage of the uninsured are African-Americans (by 80 percent to 11 percent) and Democrats (by 80 percent to 10 percent).
The survey also measured which of the two leading presidential candidates would do a better job on four healthcare and social issues. Sen. Barack Obama led Sen. John McCain on all four issues:
- by 51 percent to 16 percent on reducing the uninsured;
- by 44 percent to 24 percent on controlling the cost of healthcare;
- by 40 percent to 28 percent on dealing with Medicare; and
- by 39 percent to 29 percent on dealing with Social Security.
Healthcare was second only to the economy in importance in the most recent Harris Poll on issues of concern to voters. Harris said healthcare continues to be a strong issue for Obama, even if many people don't understand the details of the candidates' healthcare policies.
The Harris Poll noted that this survey weighted figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. They also used propensity score weighting to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.