Insured Americans are continuing to see increased medical costs but about half remain confident they can get the care they need, according to an annual survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research group.
Twenty percent of those surveyed said the U.S. healthcare system needs a complete overhaul, while 51% agreed that while there are some good things about the healthcare system, “major changes are needed.”
As other recent studies have indicated, more people are struggling to balance healthcare costs with other financial pressures. Rising healthcare costs mean that 54% of those surveyed are having trouble saving, 29% are lowering their retirement contributions and 27% are struggling to pay for basic necessities, according to the report. The vast majority—87%—said they support tax incentives to help people pay for care. And 60% said electronic medical records are extremely or very important, though 62% expressed little confidence the records would be truly confidential.
Some 51% of those surveyed said they were extremely or very confident they could get the care they need, while 42% are not too or not at all confident about the affordability of healthcare, up from 36% last year.
The EBRI’s Health Confidence Survey was conducted in May and June via 21-minute phone interviews with 1,000 people ages 21 and over nationwide. -- by Rebecca Vesely
