Cost of Healthcare Top Concern of U.S. Adults

The rising cost of U.S. healthcare is a pressing concern for 85 percent of U.S. adults, according to a recent survey sponsored by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and conducted by Harris Interactive®. In fact, healthcare costs overtake U.S. adults' concern for other hot button issues including the war in Iraq (79 percent), the rising cost of fuel (80 percent) and the threat of global warming (61 percent).

The issue of universal healthcare coverage wins strong approval in the ASQ survey which found that 79 percent of adults believe universal coverage would improve healthcare quality. According to the ASQ survey, nearly nine in 10 (88 percent) adults think being able to go to any doctor would also improve the quality of their healthcare over the next five years. In other findings, 39 percent of adults said they would be concerned/very concerned about medical errors occurring if they were hospitalized; 29 percent of U.S. adults have not filled a prescription; and 28 percent have delayed a medical procedure due to expense (28 percent).
For more information on the study, go to http://www.asq.org/media-room/press-releases/2007/20070320-healthcare-war.html