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Download PDF KEY FACTS ON HEALTH CARE COSTS Health spending in the United States is an estimated $2.4 trillion in 2008, an average of $7,868 per person The share of the economy (GDP) devoted to national health spending has increased from 7.2% in 1970 to an estimated 16.6% in 2008 Eighteen percent of the nonelderly were in families that spent over 10% of their disposable on out-of-pocket health care premiums and cost sharing in 2004.…
This document presents key findings from the December 2007 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008, which tracks changes in the saliency of health as a political and policy priority, what the public’s priorities are for a health reform plan, and whether any candidates are breaking through with the public with their health reform plans. Key Findings (.pdf)
This October 2007 tracking poll finds health care ranks second behind Iraq as an issue that the public wants the candidates to talk about. The rankings hold not only for Democrats and independents, but also for Republicans. When asked to name the two issues that they want to hear the presidential candidates talk about, people overall are most likely to name Iraq (44 percent), followed by health care (38 percent), the economy (18 percent) and…
This document contains the detailed toplines from the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 - October 2007. Toplines (.pdf)
This document presents key findings from the October 2007 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008, which tracks changes in the saliency of health as a political and policy priority, what the public’s priorities are for a health reform plan and whether any candidates are breaking through with the public with their health reform plans Key Findings (.pdf)
The economic downturn has strained family finances and prompted some Americans to cut back on medications and forgo preventive care and visits to the doctor. At the same time, the downturn has triggered declines in tax revenue that inhibit states’ ability to meet rising Medicaid program costs as enrollment spikes during economic hard times. Many states are expected to struggle to close budget gaps despite moves by Congress and the Obama Administration to temporarily boost…
I am writing this Pulling It Together column about this one chart and its potential interpretations and implications. Source: Key Findings: Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 -- April 2008, Kaiser Family Foundation, April 2008. This chart from our most recent tracking poll shows the economy rising as a political issue and health care falling, with Iraq in the middle. Findings from other polling groups will show the same thing for as long as the economy…
This August 2007 tracking poll finds that health care remains the top domestic issue that the public wants presidential candidates to address in the campaign, trailing only Iraq on the public's overall priority list. Both Republicans and Independents rank health care second to Iraq, while Democrats for the first time rank the two issues as equally important for the candidates to discuss. The poll also examines the public's perceptions of the presidential candidates' positions and…
This document contains the detailed toplines from the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 - August 2007 Toplines (.pdf)
This document presents key findings from the August 2007 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008, which tracks changes in the saliency of health as a political and policy priority, what the public’s priorities are for a health reform plan and whether any candidates are breaking through with the public with their health reform plans. Key Findings (.pdf)
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