Most healthcare consumers want feds to control costs, but partisan divides remain poll finds
The main concern among the political parties is slightly different, with Democrats more apt to desire reform that increased access to coverage.
Voters are divided on a whole host of issues, but one area in which there's some common ground is healthcare -- a new Morning Consult Poll shows 48 percent of voters support bipartisan efforts to reform healthcare, with 36 percent saying they don't have an opinion.
A small minority, 16 percent, are opposed to bipartisan efforts at reform. Those numbers hold consistent among Democrats and Republicans, with Independents actually a bit less likely to support reform, with just 30 percent saying they'd be on board with it.
The main concerns among the political parties are slightly different, with Democrats more apt to desire reform that increases access to coverage; 43 percent said it's their main concern. Republicans were more concerned with lowering costs and limiting government.
There was significant agreement among Democrats, Republicans and Independents that individuals and families pay too much for healthcare. Among all voters, 86 percent agree or somewhat agree that's the case.
Generally, Republicans favored a market-driven approach to healthcare, more so than Democrats or Independents. Democrats and Independents were more likely to favor reform that overhauled the Affordable Care Act, and at 59 percent, liberal Democrats were the most likely to feel the federal government should lead the charge when it comes to regulations placing limits on the prices that can be charged for medical services and products.
Few respondents were willing to accept the higher costs and lack of coverage associated with a market-driven approach, but cost aversion also held many back from supporting a single-payer system.
Seventy-four percent of Democrats said they'd support a single-payer system if the government set price limits for providers and manufacturers to constrain costs, and 72 percent said they'd support single-payer if there was a substantial increase in taxes among those earning more than $250,000 annually. Among Republicans those numbers dip to 64 and 53 percent, respectively.
Forty-three percent of Democrats said ensuring everyone has access to insurance is a main priority, compared to 14 percent of Republicans. And while 25 percent of Republicans said the government should focus on lowering premiums, just 13 percent of Democrats said the same.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
