New Survey Reveals What Americans Really Think About The U.S. Healthcare System
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 31 million Americans had healthcare through the Affordable Care Act in 2021. To discover how Americans felt about how the government is handling healthcare, The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a poll of 1,500 people across the U.S., and what they discovered may surprise you.
The survey showed that only 12% of the adults polled thought the government handled healthcare well, and 56% said they thought the government did not handle it well at all. Many thought the government wasn't doing enough. In fact, 66% of those polled between the ages of 18 and 49 said they thought the federal government should be responsible for ensuring that all Americans received healthcare coverage, a number that is up from 57% in 2019.
Many people are also "extremely concerned" about getting healthcare when they need it. Of those polled, 48% expressed concern about getting quality healthcare, and women were more concerned about this issue than men (53% to 42% respectively).
Caring for the elderly is also a concern
Those polled also thought caring for the older population should be a priority. Just 11% approved of how the government currently cares for the elderly, and fewer than that felt the same about the quality of care in nursing homes. In addition, 66% of those polled believe that Medicare and health insurance companies should bear the responsibility of paying for long-term living assistance. Moreover, the survey revealed that 87% thought Medicare should cover the cost of dental and vision care, and 86% thought it should cover the cost of hearing aids.
One area where the government received a positive score was in regard to how it handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Most adults were supportive of government efforts, with 69% approving of how it spent money to make treatment available to the public. About 67% approved of government handling, and 64% approved of how it handled testing. That said, only 13% believe that the country is equipped to handle another pandemic or other health emergency.