Americans Satisfied With Their Current Health Coverage, Lean Against Single Payer, Finds New PRI Survey

PR Newswire

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national survey commissioned by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute, a California-based, free market think tank, finds that, for the second year in a row, an overwhelming majority of Americans are satisfied with their current health coverage.

90 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their current health insurance plan, compared to 9 percent who said they were dissatisfied. This represents a 4 percent increase in people's satisfaction compared to PRI's 2022 survey.

Click here to read the full survey results.

When asked whether they would support a complete government takeover of America's health care system, where private health insurance would be banned and everyone would be enrolled in a government plan, voters leaned more toward opposing than supporting such a move (43% opposed versus 40% in support), with 3 in 10 saying they would strongly oppose it, compared to just 16% who were strongly supportive. Seventeen percent of voters were unsure.

"Americans are satisfied with their current health care plans, and aren't looking for a government takeover of our health care system," said Sally Pipes, PRI President, CEO, and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy. "Policymakers should listen to the voices of the American people and think twice before supporting the disastrous 'Medicare for All' plan being pushed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and his allies in Congress."

When asked how they would rate their current health insurance coverage, 75 percent rated it as good, compared to 19 percent who rated it adequate and 6 percent who rated it poor. This is a 5 percent increase in those approving of their coverage compared to PRI's 2022 survey.

When asked why they were dissatisfied with their current health coverage, respondents cited bureaucratic restrictions from insurers and government limiting their access to care, along with high out-of-pocket costs:

52 percent said limited or restricted access to specialists
41 percent said limited access to a primary care physician
38 percent said premiums and deductibles were too high
38 percent said there were too many restrictions for special tests, such as CT scans

Echelon Insights conducted the national survey for PRI from July 24-27, 2023, in English, among a sample of 1,013 voters nationwide determined to be part of the likely electorate for the 2024 election using non-probability sampling. The sample was weighted to population benchmarks for registered voters and 2024 likely voters on gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, region, party, and 2020 president vote adjusted for 2024 turnout probability. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.9 percentage points.

The Pacific Research Institute (www.pacificresearch.org) champions freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility through free-market policy ideas. Follow PRI on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Emeline McClellan(202) 970-9742
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