Weekly Pulse Polling: Only 21% of Americans Think the Federal Government Provides Better Service and Coverage for Health Care When Compared to Private Insurance

Washington, D.C. (April 25, 2019) – There is a lot of discussion about health care reform in Washington, but very few Americans think the federal government provides better service and coverage than private health insurance companies. Only 21 percent of Americans think the federal government is better at providing care, compared to 47 percent who think private insurance companies are best (32 percent didn’t know).

In another question, Americans overwhelmingly supported cost transparency with 86 percent of respondents saying that hospitals and doctors should be required to tell patients how much a treatment or test will cost before they commit to the treatment or test compared to 7 percent who said it should not be required.

Other questions revealed:

• 68 percent of Americans think kids should be required to get their own insurance before the current cut off of 26 years old. Only 21 percent say 26 years old is appropriate and 11 percent say adult children should stay on parents health insurance till they are 30 years old.
• When rating important aspects of health care coverage the highest rated feature was the ability to choose or keep your current doctor (52 percent ranked it as important), followed by coverage of pre-existing conditions (51 percent), then being able to see a doctor quickly (40 percent)

“Americans clearly favor free market solutions when it comes to health care,” said Elaine Parker, President of the Job Creators Network Foundation. “They clearly think that private insurance is a better option than government provided health care. That being said, the government can help free market solutions by making sure there is pricing transparency so competition can truly exist.”

Other poll questions revealed Americans are confident about the economy, with only 14 percent of people rating the economy as poor, compared to 54 percent who described the economy as “excellent” or ”good.”

“Even with lots of political turmoil in Washington, everyday Americans continue to feel confident about the economy and their own finances,” said pollster Scott Rasmussen. “Only 17 percent of people say their finances are getting worse, compared to 79 percent who say their finances are getting better or about the same.”

Other polling questions this week included:

How would you rate the US economy today? Excellent (13%), Good (41%), Fair (28%), Poor (14%), Not sure (3%).

Is the economy getting better or worse? Better (34%), Worse (26%), About the same (33%), Not sure (7%).

Okay, how would you rate your own personal finances these days?  Excellent (12%), Good (39%), Fair (30%), Poor (17%), Not sure (2%).

Are your personal finances getting better or worse? Better (31%), Worse (16%), About the same (50%), Not sure (3%).

Are companies in your area more likely to be hiring new workers or laying off existing workers? Hiring new workers (47%), Laying off existing workers (17%), Not sure (36%).

For historic data on these economic questions visit: JCNPulse.com

Download full crosstabs on all this week’s questions:
https://polls.jcnf.org/app/uploads/2019/04/JCN-April-22-23-2019.xlsx

This ScottRasmussen.com/HarrisX poll of 1,100 US adults was conducted April 22-23, 2019. For more information about the Job Creators Network, please visit www.JobCreatorsNetwork.com.