Americans are satisfied with their insurance - Not!
Data Note: Americans’ Satisfaction with Insurance Coverage
Kaiser Family Foundation
September 2009
Some Dissatisfaction Despite Positive Ratings
How would you rate your overall insurance coverage?
90% - Excellent/Good
9% - Not so good/Poor
Of those who rate their coverage not so good/poor:
Percent dissatisfied with:
74% - The amount you spend out of pocket on health care costs your insurance doesn’t cover
56% - The amount you pay for your health insurance coverage
46% - The amount of paperwork and number of calls required to manage your health insurance
53% - The number and kind of treatments your health insurance will cover
32% - Your choice of doctors and hospitals
22% - The quality of health care you receive
Of those who rate their coverage excellent/good:
33% - Had problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months
66% - Report dissatisfaction with at least one element of care (listed above)
86% - Had problems paying OR report dissatisfaction with at least once element of care (listed above)
Conclusion
Though a large majority of the public reports satisfaction with their health insurance coverage, a closer look identifies significant variations among demographic groups and those with differing health care needs. The non-elderly, lower income Americans and those in fair or poor health - the very people who are most likely to need to use health care services - are less likely to say they are satisfied with their health coverage than their counterparts. And though most Americans say their insurance is excellent or good — significant portions of these groups still report problems paying their medical bills or dissatisfaction with certain aspects of their coverage. Higher levels of dissatisfaction with coverage are also clustered among those who are more vulnerable and likely to use the health care system - those with low incomes or in poor health.
As policy makers, interest groups and the news media continue to discuss the potential effects of health reform on individual families, it is important to remember that, though most Americans express a level of contentedness with their health insurance coverage, dissatisfaction, anxiety and problems with cost remain. Significant minorities report problems paying medical bills or delaying care and a majority of Americans say they are at least somewhat worried about being able to afford the health care services they need, their quality of health care services getting worse, and, among those who are insured, losing their coverage.
http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/7979.pdf
Comment:
By Don McCanne, MD
According to this study conducted last month, 90% of insured Americans rated their insurance coverage either excellent or good. Yet when asked about specifics, only 14% of those rating their coverage excellent or good reported that they did not have any problems with paying their medical bills in the last 12 months and that they were satisfied with the elements of coverage listed above.
So good or excellent equates with premiums that are too high, with excessive out-of-pocket costs for uncovered services, with inadequate plan benefits, with excessive administrative hassles, with reduced choice of health care professionals and institutions, or with problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months.
What a disconnect! We need to start having a forthright conversation with all of these duped Americans who believe that their insurers are giving them a good deal.