The current approach to funding health insurance may be undergoing significant changes, as consumers seek different coverage options and employers struggle with their ability to provide insurance cost effectively.
Most respondents to a survey of more than 1,500 Americans said they wanted a variety of options for coverage, but they’re not willing to pay more for the flexibility.
Results of the survey, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), were released today. The results from the University of Chicago affiliate are appearing over the next few weeks in Health Affairs, an industry journal. The poll was supported by the California HealthCare Foundation.
Survey results found that four out of every five respondents believe the current approach to funding healthcare has problems and needs to be improved.
"Overall, Americans seem to be hoping for a better deal," said Daniel Gaylin, NORC executive vice president and co-author of an article in the journal. "They want employers and the governement to do more to help pay for coverage, but they still want the right to choose from different policies."
Consumers strongly supported the idea that employers should contribute to insurance, but consumers also believe that they should be offered a range of coverage options. A majority of respondents said they believe that the government should subsidize employer-based health insurance, but fewer believe that the government should set rules for the types of plans offered and the benefits covered.
Respondents generally believe that the nation’s system of making health insurance available through employers is sound and just needs to be bolstered. For example, 88 percent believe that health insurance coverage should be expanded by working with employers to cover more working people and families. Only 61 percent support a fundamental change in the system whereby the government would provide coverage for all and employers’ role would be eliminated.
Less than half of respondents said individuals should pay more for routine costs, while insurance should be reserved for catastrophic costs.
However, respondents said individuals should bear more cost for certain types of behavior. For example, 60 percent of respondents said people who smoke should pay higher health insurance rates, and 29 percent thought higher health insurance premiums were appropriate for the obese.
Survey results show that there’s still little consensus about how to fix the easily identifiable problems in the healthcare system, said Marc L. Berk, senior vice president of NORC and a co-author of the article.
"Americans clearly want to see coverage expanded," he said. The variety of potential solutions they support, even ones that appear contradictory, indicates that Americans "realize that they will have to compromise to get reform, and they acknowledge that there is a range of acceptable alternatives."