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Boston, MA, USA. A new poll monitors the debate over the comparative merits of the US health care system and those in other countries. President Bush and other US political figures claim the US has the best system in the world. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations rank the US below many countries. Despite general praise for research excellence, the US system receives negative assessments for access by the US population.
The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Harris Interactive conducted the poll as part their ongoing series, Debating Health: Election 2008. Among Americans, most republicans think the US health care system is the best in the world; democrats disagree. All political groups agree the US lags in providing affordable care and controlling costs.
Americans' Views on the U.S. Health Care System Compared to Other Countries. Debating Health: Election 2008. Harvard School Of Public Health and Harris Interactive. March 20, 2008.
Americans are generally split on the issue of whether the United States has the best health care system in the world.
45% believe the US has the best system,
39% believe other countries have better systems, and
15% don’t know or refused to answer.
There is a significant divide along party lines. Among those who believe the US health care system is the best in the world,
68% are Republicans (68%),
32% are Democrats, and
40% are Independents.
So how might this issue impact how Americans vote in the upcoming presidential election? Respondents were asked if they would be more likely to support or oppose a presidential candidate who advocates making the US health care system more like health systems in other countries. The poll specifically mentioned Canada, France, and Great Britain and asked if they would be more likely to support such a candidate. Of those who said yes,
19% were Republicans,
56% were Democrats, and
37% were Independents.
Though many Americans view the health care systems of other countries as better than the US in general, the survey shows that they do not identify as better those countries that have been most frequently compared to the US. In head-to-head comparisons with health care systems in Canada, France and Great Britain, a large percentage of Americans are not sure how the US compares overall.
53% of Americans say they don’t know how the US generally compares to France,
40% say they don’t know if the US system is better or worse than Great Britain’s,
26% are not sure how the US health care system compares to the Canadian system.
The view that the U.S. health care system lags other countries seems largely driven by the view that the U.S. is behind in controlling health care costs and providing affordable access to everyone. In comparing how the US stacks up against other countries in specific areas,
55% believe that the US health care system is better in terms of the quality of care patients receive, and
53% believe the US has shorter waiting times to see specialists or be admitted to the hospital.
However, very few believe that the U.S. has the edge when it comes to providing affordable access to everyone:
26% believe the US is better than other countries, and
21% believe the US is better than other countries when it comes to controlling health care costs.
Once again, there are contrasts in how Republicans view the United States’ standing on these elements and how Democrats and Independents rate the US. As an example, there are important differences between the three groups when judging whether the US health care system makes sure everyone can get affordable health care. Of those sharing that belief,
40% of Republicans,
19% of Democrats, and
22% of Independents.
On each of the four elements tested, Independents are within a few percentage points of agreement with Democrats, and both are significantly separated from Republicans.
“The health care debate in this election involves starkly different views of the U.S. health care system,” says Robert J. Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). “One party sees it as lagging other countries across a broad range of problem areas while the other party sees the system as the best in the world with a more limited range of problems.”
Methodology
This survey is part of the series, Debating Health: Election 2008 which focuses on current health issues in the presidential campaign. The survey design team includes Professor Robert Blendon, Tami Buhr, John Benson and Kathleen Weldon of the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH); and Humphrey Taylor, Scott Hawkins and Justin Greeves of Harris Interactive.
This survey was conducted by telephone within the United States among a nationwide cross section of adults aged 18 and over. The survey was conducted from March 5 to 8, 2008 among a representative sample of 1026 respondents. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, number of adults in the household, size of place (urbanicity) and number of phone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
All sample surveys and polls are subject to multiple sources of error including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. The sampling error for both polls is +/- 3.0% in 95 out of 100 cases for results based on the entire sample. For results based on a smaller subset, the sampling error is somewhat larger.
Americans' Views on the U.S. Health Care System Compared to Other Countries. Debating Health: Election 2008. Harvard School Of Public Health and Harris Interactive. March 20, 2008.
The TS-Si News Service is a collaborative effort by TS-Si.org editors, contributors, and corresponding institutions. The sources can include the cited individuals and organizations, as well as TS-Si.org staff contributions. Articles and news reports do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si, its partners, or affiliates.
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Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.
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