CONSUMERS LOSE CONFIDENCE IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

     (NAPS)-If you have a concern about the quality of our nation’s health care system, you are not alone.

     A nationally projectable poll of American households reflects a lack of consumer confidence among the majority of Americans in the quality, cost and accessibility of medical care and the health care system overall. The poll, How Americans Perceive the Health Care System, commissioned by the National Coalition on Health Care, the nation’s largest health care alliance, highlights the most pressing health care concerns that face American families today and reveals deep concern among Americans with the current state of our health care system.

     Simply put, the poll illustrates that the majority of Americans have lost confidence in the health care system’s ability to care for people. Eight out of ten respondents believe there is something seriously wrong with our health care system. In addition, six out of ten are not optimistic about the future of health care and seven out of ten agree that there are serious problems with the quality of care and that the quality of care is often compromised to save money.

     The cost of medical care is also a significant issue to those polled. Eight out of ten respondents believe quality health care is almost unaffordable for the average person.

     Contrary to the widely publicized view that government should not be involved in health care, the survey indicates a bipartisan majority of Americans feel the federal government should play an active role in working with the private sector to improve the quality of health care.

     Despite the growing concern with the direction of our health care system, half of the adult population feels that their individual medical plan provides quality care. In general, people over sixty-five years of age are more satisfied with the quality and coverage than those in their thirties and forties.

     The National Coalition on Health Care is an alliance of almost 100 organizations, employing or representing approximately 100 millions Americans, united in the belief that we can achieve better more affordable health care for all Americans.