This October 2006 survey examines voters’ views and worries on health care and other issues in advance of the midterm Congressional elections.

Overall, nearly half (46%) of voters say they are “very worried” about having to pay more for their health care or insurance, putting health care costs at the top of voters’ personal worries.

However, when asked to name the most important election issue, 30% of polled voters identified Iraq as the their top concern. The next three most frequently cited issues are clustered back in the pack: health care (15%), the economy (15%) and terrorism (13%).

The nationally representative telephone survey was conducted between Oct. 5 and Oct. 10 among 1,052 registered voters. The survey was developed and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Summary

Toplines

These toplines contain the detailed results from a survey examining voters’ views and worries on health care and other issues in light of the upcoming November 7, 2006, Congressional elections. The nationally representative telephone survey was conducted between Oct. 5 and Oct. 10 among 1,052 registered voters. It was conducted and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Toplines (.pdf)

Low Medicaid Spending Growth Amid Rebounding State Revenues: Results From a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey State Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007

The 50-state annual survey about budget conditions and Medicaid cost containment actions in FY2006-07 finds an improved economy combined with the implementation of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit has contributed to the lowest rate of Medicaid spending growth in a decade and the fourth consecutive year in which Medicaid spending growth has slowed.

Full Report (.pdf)

Executive Summary (.pdf)

Health Coverage for Low-Income Americans: An Evidence-Based Approach to Public Policy

This executive summary provides an overview of a framework addressing a set of core issues related to structuring health coverage for low-income Americans. It is a summation based on a review and synthesis of evidence that is available in the full report.

Executive Summary (.pdf)

Full Report

This paper examines health coverage trends in 2005 and places them in the context of trends occurring since 2000. The paper concludes that despite the improving economy, the percentage of the population with employer-sponsored insurance continued to decline while the number of the uninsured continued to increase.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

This discussion paper prepared by Lewis and Clark College communications professor Peter Christenson and American University communications assistant professor Maria Ivancin was released by the Kaiser Family Foundation at a forum to examine the implications of reality TV serving as a health information resource. The paper helped facilitate the dialogue, and explores common health-related themes in reality shows, as well as possible implications for viewers.

Report (.pdf)

This poll examines Americans’ views and experiences related to health care costs and quality, as well as their attitudes toward possible policy solutions. The results are featured in a series of reports on ABC News programs, ABCNews.com, and in USA Today during the week of Oct. 15, 2006.

The ABC News/Kaiser Family Foundation/USA Today Survey Project is a three-way partnership. Representatives of ABC News, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and USA Today worked together to develop the survey questionnaire. ABC News and USA Today individually retain editorial control over the content they broadcast or publish.

The Health Care in America Survey is a nationally representative survey of 1,201 adults conducted from Sept. 7 to 12, 2006. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for results based on total respondents.

Summary and Chartpack

Toplines

ABC News’ materials related to the survey, including an analysis, are available online.

These charts highlight data from the 2006 survey on Health Care in America conducted jointly by ABC News, the Kaiser Family Foundation and USA Today between Sept. 7 and 12, 2006. The survey examines Americans’ views and experiences related to health care costs and quality, as well as their attitudes toward possible policy solutions.

Summary & Chartpack (.pdf)

These toplines provide the complete survey questions and findings from the 2006 survey on Health Care in America conducted jointly by ABC News, the Kaiser Family Foundation and USA Today between Sept. 7 and 12, 2006. The survey examines Americans’ views and experiences related to health care costs and quality, as well as their attitudes toward possible policy solutions.

Toplines (.pdf)

This paper examines the underlying reasons behind the decline in employer coverage among employees from 2001 to 2005. The paper finds that almost half of the decline in employer-sponsored coverage was due to a loss of employer sponsorship. Another quarter of the decline was due to lost eligibility for benefits or losing access as a dependent of another employee. The remaining quarter of the decline was due to employees not participating in the offer of coverage.

Issue Brief (.pdf)