Since February 2004, the Kaiser Health Security Watch has asked several questions to compare Americans’ health care worries to their worries about other possible problems.  We have consistently found that more Americans are worried about their health care costs than about losing their job, paying their rent or mortgage, losing money in the stock market, or being the victim of a terrorist attack. The two worries that outrank all others involve personal finances and health care costs, and in April, more than four in ten adults report being “very” worried about their income not keeping up with rising prices (43%), and just slightly fewer say they are very worried about having to pay more for health care or insurance (37%).

When asked about specific health care worries, seven in ten are at least “somewhat” worried about having to pay more for health care or insurance. In addition, over half say they are “very” or “somewhat” worried about the quality of their health care getting worse (56%) and about not being able to afford the health care services they think they need (55%) and nearly as many worry about affording needed prescription drugs (50%).

In a scale that combines six individual questions about people’s ability to access and pay for care, the share of the public that is worried has been fairly steady over time at about six in ten. In April 2008, the percent of the public who say they are “very” worried about health costs and coverage (55%) is somewhat lower than it has been in recent months.

Significant differences in worries among various demographics groups persist in this latest tracking survey. Racial and ethnic minorities, people with lower incomes, and those with no health insurance consistently express more health care worries than their counterparts.

 April 2008 (pdf)

 Toplines

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