Kaiser Family Foundation Poll Reveals Misconceptions About America's Uninsured
Americans are aware of the problems facing the uninsured, but their
perceptions about the 44 million people without health insurance largely
miss the mark, a new poll reveals. The results of the survey were released
by PBS's "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" and the California-based
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation as
part of an ongoing partnership between the two to provide in-depth information
about health issues to the public.
According to the survey, 57 percent of respondents incorrectly stated that
the majority of the uninsured are unemployed or from families where no one
works. In fact, more than 8 in 10 uninsured Americans are employed or are
dependents of people who work, according to data compiled by the Kaiser
Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.
Still, Americans are aware of some of the problems facing the uninsured.
More than 6 in 10 know, for example, that the uninsured are less likely to
have visited a physician recently, to have regular access to medical care,
and to use preventive health services than people who have health coverage.
But less than half (43 percent) of those surveyed knew that the uninsured
are more likely to have health problems overall.
While Americans support action on the issue, there is little agreement on
what remedies to pursue. Survey respondents were widely divided, for example,
when asked about various options for expanding insurance coverage, with only
41 percent saying they would pay $50 a month or more to extend coverage to
the uninsured.
"The unwillingness to pay more on the part of a large number of Americans
and the lack of consensus on an approach to the problem suggest that
incremental approaches are likely to continue to be favored in the future,"
commented Kaiser Foundation president Dr. Drew Altman in response to
the findings.
"Poll Reveals Misperceptions About the Uninsured." Reuters Health 5/16/2000.
"NewsHour/Kaiser Survey Spotlights Misconceptions About the Medically
Uninsured." Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Press Release 5/16/200.
FC003391
© Foundation Center
All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy
