Politicians and stakeholders have been quick to point fingers and blame others for the rapid rise in health care costs, especially as affordability looms as a major issue in the midterm elections Respondents in a recent voter survey by the Coalition to Strengthen America's Healthcare believe health insurance companies are the primary driver behind rising costs.
Nearly 9 in 10 voters view nurses positively and trust them to act in their best interest, followed closely by doctors and medical providers (84%) and hospitals (78%). By contrast, half of voters don't trust health insurers or drug companies to do the same. "These results underscore growing concern about harmful insurer practices that delay, deny and restrict access to care for patients and families across the country," the patient advocacy group said in a news release.
Among the key findings in the survey:
- Voters say health insurance companies (47%) are most responsible for rising health care costs in the United States, followed by the federal government (36%) and drug companies (34%).
- Eight in 10 voters are concerned about health insurers denying or delaying doctor-ordered treatments.
- Eighty-four percent believe insurers have too much control over medical decisions, while 70% say doctors, not insurers, should have the final say on treatment approvals and coverage.
- Nearly three-quarters say they are more likely to support candidates who will hold corporate insurers accountable for wrongful claim denials.
These results come amid increased national debate over health care affordability and growing concern about the role of large insurers in limiting access to timely care that can increase patients' out-of-pocket costs. Health costs continue to top the public's list of affordability worries, a KFF poll found. Nearly two-thirds of adults are worried about being able to afford health care costs, and lowering out-of-pocket costs ranks as the most important change insured adults say they would like to see from their health insurance. Three-quarters of respondents believe delays and denials of services and treatments by health insurance companies are a major problem.
"Voters clearly are deeply concerned about the role corporate health insurers play in increasing costs while delaying and denying care," the coalition concluded. "Americans overwhelmingly believe medical decisions should be made by doctors and patients, not insurance companies, and they support greater accountability for harmful insurer practices that increase costs, create unnecessary barriers to treatment and interfere with timely access."
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