Americans' Experience with the Health Care System in 2018

Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of Consumers for Quality Care

The author(s)
  • Jennifer Berg Vice President in Ipsos’ U.S. Public Affairs Team
Get in touch

Washington, D.C. - Americans are acutely worried about paying for health care – even more than they worry about costs associated with retirement, college, housing, or child care – according to a new Ipsos Public Affairs telephone survey of 1,700 U.S. adults on behalf of Consumers for Quality Care.  

The survey finds that cost is the main pain point with the U.S. health care system for most Americans. More precisely, the costs of co-pays and deductibles (cited by 53% of respondents) and of deductibles (46%) are the top areas of concern, ahead of the cost of hospital care (32%), the cost of drugs (28%), limited coverage options (19%), and limited access to quality care (15%).  When asked which are most responsible for their out-of-pocket costs, consumers are more likely to mention insurance companies (47%), pharmaceutical companies (43%), and the Federal government (36%) than they are to cite hospitals (21%), pharmacists (8%), and pharmacy benefit managers (6%). 

Americans are lukewarm about the state of the health care system (19% say it’s “very good” and 48% say it’s “good”) and split almost equally about the quality of health insurance coverage in the U.S. (with 49% saying it is “very good” or “good and 48% saying it is “poor” or “very poor”). While most have accessed medical services when needed, one in five respondents say have not had a routine doctor’s visit in the last year and many are concerned their insurance type impacts the treatments recommended by their doctor.

 

The findings reported by Consumers for Quality Care can be found at: https://consumers4qualitycare.org/research/.

 

About this Study

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted March 13-25, 2018 on behalf of Consumers for Quality Care. For the survey, a sample of 1,700 adults age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed via phone in English. 

The sample for this study was developed through random digital dialing. Ipsos uses fixed sample targets, unique to each study, in drawing sample. After a sample has been obtained from the Ipsos panel, Ipsos calibrates respondent characteristics to be representative of the U.S. Population using standard procedures such as raking-ratio adjustments. The source of these population targets is U.S. Census 2013 American Community Survey data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on demographics. Post-hoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, race/ethnicity, region, and education. 

All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. The precision of Ipsos phone polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points for all respondents. Ipsos calculates a design effect (DEFF) for each study based on the variation of the weights, following the formula of Kish (1965). This study had a credibility interval adjusted for design effect of the following (n=1,700, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval=2.7). 
For more information on this news release, please contact:

Jennifer Berg
Senior Account Manager, U.S.
Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 312 526-4224
[email protected] 

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.
Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. In Canada, the U.S., UK, and internationally, Ipsos Public Affairs is the media polling supplier to Reuters News, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.
With offices in 88 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media, customer loyalty, marketing, public affairs research, and survey management.
Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.
Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of €1,785.3 million ($1,981 million) in 2015.

The author(s)
  • Jennifer Berg Vice President in Ipsos’ U.S. Public Affairs Team

More insights about Health

Society