2005 Health Confidence Survey: Most Americans Satisfied With Quality of Health Care, But Public Does Not Link Cost to Quality

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Although battered by rising health care costs, a majority of Americans remain well satisfied with the quality of the care personally received in the last two years, the 2005 Health Confidence Survey (HCS) shows. But Americans tend to view cost as one of the least important factors when considering health care quality, the survey suggests.

Almost 6 in 10 Americans (57 percent) are extremely or very satisfied with the quality of the medical care they received, according to the eighth annual HCS, released today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Mathew Greenwald & Associates, a public opinion and market research organization.

The survey notes that Americans' satisfaction with health care recovered from a slight dip in 2004, but it found that only about one-quarter (28 percent) of them were satisfied with the cost of health coverage. An even smaller number (21 percent) were satisfied with the cost of health care services not covered by insurance. Health insurance premiums have outpaced overall inflation every year since the late 1990s.

"Satisfaction with health care quality is high, but few are happy about the cost of health care," said Dallas Salisbury, EBRI president. "Beyond that, the survey appears to confirm the notion that Americans tend to leave cost out of the equation when considering health care quality." ...

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Employee Benefit Research Institute

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