Most (58 percent) know that the reform package will prohibit insurers from denying coverage to people because they are already sick; 55 percent know the law permits children to stay on their parents' insurance plan until age 26; and 52 percent realize that people who don't have insurance will be subject to financial penalties. Additionally, half are aware that employers with more than 50 employees will have to offer their workers affordable insurance.
These are some of the major findings of today's HealthDay/Harris Poll, conducted between July 15 to 19, 2010 among 2,104 adults (aged 18 and over).
Among other findings: 82 percent think the bill will result in rationing of health care or that it might (it won't); 79 percent don't know or aren't sure if drug companies will pay an annual fee, (they will); 73 percent don't know the law establishes a new tax on the sale of medical devices; 66 percent don't know or aren't sure if the legislation will result in insurance exchanges where people can shop for insurance, (it will); and 63 percent either aren't sure or don't know if the new law will increase the number of people eligible for Medicaid, (it will).
"The problem for the (Obama) administration is healthcare reform is fiendishly complicated because the healthcare system is fiendishly complicated, and it is not politically feasible to tear up the system and build it again," said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Poll, Harris Interactive's long-running public opinion poll. "Instead you have to build on the system that you have. When you try to build on a fiendishly complicated system, you have fiendishly complicated reforms."
Another cause of the confusion is due to the long and heated political debate that surrounded the bill before it was passed, Taylor said.
"The level of ignorance and misinformation is sort of astounding," he said. "It seems people are still reacting to the rhetoric, not the substance of what is in the bill, because they don't actually know what is or is not in the actual legislation."
For more information, click here to read the full report and methodology. HealthDay's news report is available here. Full data on the poll and its methodology are available at Harris Interactive.
TABLE 1
KNOWLEDGE OF ITEMS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN REFORM BILL (PPACA)
"Please indicate if you believe each of the following is included (or
will result from) or is not included (or will not result from) the
health care reform bill that was signed by President Obama in March
of this year. If you don't know, please do not guess but
check "Not sure."
Base: All adults
Is Not
Is Included/ Included/
Will Result Will Not
From Result From Not
Sure
Not allowing insurers to deny
coverage to people % 58 9 34
because they are sick
Allowing children to stay on their
parents' insurance until % 55 9 35
they are 26 years old
Financial penalties for all
individuals who do not have or % 52 9 39
do not buy insurance
All employers with more than 50
employees must offer % 50 9 41
their employees affordable
insurance
Tax credits for small business to
provide insurance to % 43 14 43
their employees
Increasing the number of people who
are eligible for % 37 13 50
Medicaid
Insurance exchanges where people
can shop for % 35 14 52
insurance
A new tax on the sale of medical
devices % 27 13 60
An annual fee to be paid by drug
companies % 21 14 65
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.
TABLE 2
BELIEF THAT ITEMS NOT IN REFORM BILL (PPACA) ARE INCLUDED
"Please indicate if you believe each of the following is included (or
will result from) or is not included (or will not result from) the
health care reform bill that was signed by President Obama in March
of this year. If you don't know, please do not guess but
check "Not sure."
Base: All adults
Is Not
Is Included/ Included/
Will Result Will Not
From Result From Not
Sure
An increase in the federal
government's budget deficit % 45 13 42
Higher income taxes for the middle
class % 37 22 41
All Americans will have health
insurance % 36 29 35
New ways to ration health care % 36 18 46
A new government run health plan
to compete with % 36 22 43
private insurance plans
A cut in Medicare benefits % 33 21 45
Higher tax deductions from
workers' pay % 33 16 50
Panels to decide what care very
sick, older people % 30 26 44
should receive
Illegal aliens will have health
insurance % 28 27 45
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States July 15 to 19, 2010 among 2,104 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household 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.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
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