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Americans Demand Health Insurance Guarantee
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States believe their federal administration should do more to allow more people to have access to medical services, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 62 per cent of respondents believe the government should guarantee health insurance for all Americans.
Health care in the U.S. is based on a system of benefits provided by employers, as well as the Medicare and Medicaid programs which allocate health insurance for the elderly, disabled and poor. Around 45 million Americans are uninsured.
U.S. president George W. Bush signed new health-related legislation in December 2003. The $400 billion U.S. plan is considered the largest expansion of Medicare, and creates a prescription drug benefit for the first time. In average, a person 65 and older spends $1,644 U.S. a year—or $137 U.S. a month—in medicines. This particular rule came into effect this year.
On Jan. 11 in Kentucky, Bush discussed the role of the federal government in the health care system, saying, "There is a philosophical struggle in Washington on this issue. There are some really decent people who believe that the federal government ought to be the decider of health care, not just for the elderly, not just for the poor, but for all people. I strongly disagree. I believe the best health care system is one in which there is a direct connect between provider and customer; where there is transparency in the pricing system; where there is an information system that is modern and flows; and in which people are held to account for medical errors, but not to the point where the cost of medicine has gotten out of control."
Polling Data
Do you think the federal government should guarantee health insurance for all Americans, or isn't this the responsibility of the federal government?
Jan. 2006 | Jul. 2000 | |
Guarantee | 62% | 62% |
Not responsibility | 31% | 29% |
Not sure | 7% | 9% |
Source: The New York Times / CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,229 American adults, conducted from Jan. 20 to Jan. 25, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
