Many Want Quality Health Care, But Few Think They Should Pay
for It
National survey shows 58% of Americans say quality of care can
be measured fairly, reliably
Rochester, NY—August 8, 2003—Recent results of The Wall Street
Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll demonstrate that a large
plurality (44%) of adults in America favors health insurers paying more to
hospitals and medical groups that have been shown to provide better care. Only
16% of those surveyed oppose health insurers paying for quality performance. A
full 40% are not sure.
Some key findings of the poll, which measured the public’s opinion about
paying for performance-based health care, are:
- Forty-four percent (44%) of all adults surveyed favor health insurance
plans paying more to hospitals and medical groups that have been shown to
provide better care and paying less to those that have not. This compares
with 16% who oppose and 40% who are not sure.
- More than half (58%) believe there are fair and reliable ways to measure
and compare the quality of care provided by different hospitals and
different medical groups, while 11% feel there are no fair and reliable ways
for measurement and comparison. Nearly one-third (31%) is not sure.
- Sixty-four percent (64%) do not think it would be fair for patients to pay
more to be treated by medical groups or hospitals that have been shown to
provide better care. Only 18% feel it would be fair, and 18% are not sure.
- Few Americans (16%) say they would be willing to pay significantly higher
premiums for health insurance plans which cover them to go to hospitals and
medical groups that have been shown to provide superior care. Sixty percent
(60%) say they would not. The willingness to pay more increases with
education and income, but even substantial majorities of those with higher
incomes and education are not willing to pay the higher premiums to get
superior care (54% of those with incomes of $75K or higher and 55% of
postgraduates).
"To the extent that the public understands the concept, they are
comfortable with the idea that better-performing hospitals and medical groups
get paid more as long as it’s their insurers making the payments and not
themselves," said Robert Leitman, president of health and public policy at
Harris Interactive®.
To access a downloadable PDF of this Wall Street Journal Online/Harris
Interactive Health-Care Poll with complete data tables, please visit: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_wsj.asp
where previous issues of the Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive
Health-Care Poll are also archived.
Methodology
This study was conducted online within the United States between July 8 and
10, 2003, among a nationwide cross section of 2,357 adults, ages 18 years and
over. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and income were weighted
where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the
population. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjust for
respondents’ propensity to be online.
In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95
percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus
three percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had
been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other
possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious
than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be
interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer
bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely
voters). It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these
factors. This online sample was not a probability sample.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National
Council on Public Polls.
The Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll is an
exclusive poll that is published in the Health Industry Edition of The Wall
Street Journal Online at www.wsj.com/health.
The Health Industry Edition of The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com,
published by Dow Jones & Company, covers the business of health for
health-industry professionals and features the award-winning coverage of The
Wall Street Journal, breaking health news from Dow Jones Newswires and exclusive
online commentary on the industry. The Wall Street Journal Online is the largest
paid subscription news site on the Web with more than 671,000 subscribers. It
recently received a Codie Award for Best Online Science/Technology/Medical
Information Service and was named the "Best Business News" site by
Yahoo! Internet Life in the magazine's January 2002 issue.
About Dow Jones & Company
In addition to The Wall Street Journal and its international and online
editions, Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ; dowjones.com) also publishes
Barron's and the Far Eastern Economic Review, Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones
Indexes and the Ottaway group of community newspapers. Dow Jones is co-owner
with Reuters Group of Factiva, with Hearst of SmartMoney and with NBC of the
CNBC television operations in Asia and Europe. Dow Jones also provides news
content to CNBC and radio stations in the U.S.
About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) is a worldwide market
research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll®,
and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate
market research. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, U.S.A., Harris
Interactive combines proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in
predictive, custom and strategic research. The Company conducts international
research through wholly owned subsidiaries—London-based HI Europe
(www.hieurope.com) and Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan—as well as through
the Harris Interactive Global Network of local market- and opinion-research
firms, and various U.S. offices. EOE M/F/D/V
To become a member of the Harris Poll OnlineSM and be invited to
participate in future online surveys, visit www.harrispollonline.com.
Press Contacts:
Nicole C. Pyhel
The Wall Street Journal Online
609-520-4057
nicole.pyhel@dowjones.com
Nancy Wong
Harris Interactive
585-214-7316
nwong@harrisinteractive.com
Bonnie Hughes
Harris Interactive
585-214-7541
bhughes@harrisinteractive.com
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