Mr. Lambert: I think the “frets” are a little weak. How about “screaming in frustration”?
By Noam N. Levey, Senior Correspondent, KFF Health News. It was first published in KFF Health News.
Tom Zawiercza, 58, a construction services worker in New Jersey, wants candidates to talk more about protecting older Americans from high medical costs.
Theresa Morton, 43, a freight forwarder in Memphis, Tennessee, and two teenagers discuss how elected officials can help Americans working with deductibles they can’t afford. I’m thinking of wanting to know more.
Yessica Gray, a 28-year-old customer support representative in Wisconsin, is desperate for relief from the high drug prices and medical bills that have pushed her and her husband into deep debt. “How much are you willing to pay?” she said. “That’s always on my mind.”
Health care has not played a prominent role in this increasingly competitive presidential campaign. And the economy is generally at the top of voters’ list of concerns.
However, national surveys show that Americans remain deeply concerned about paying their medical bills.
Two out of three American adults these days national opinion poll West Health and Gallup said they were concerned about incurring debt from a major medical event. A similar proportion said health care did not receive enough attention in the campaign.
As the 2024 campaign draws to a close, KFF Health News teamed up to better understand voters’ health care concerns. Research company Perry Undem Last week, we were scheduled to convene two focus groups with 16 people from across the country. PerryUndem is a nonpartisan company based in Washington, D.C., that surveys public opinion on health care and other issues.
Focus group participants represented a wide range of voters, with some supporting Republican candidates and others supporting Democratic candidates. However, almost everyone had a common complaint. Neither presidential candidate has said enough about how to help people struggling to pay their medical bills.
“I don’t really hear about medical costs,” said Bob Grogler, 46, who works in housing finance in eastern Pennsylvania. Mr. Gugler said he worries he will never be able to retire because he doesn’t have enough money to pay his medical bills.
Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, has not provided details. healthcare agendaBut he criticized the current law and said he had a “plan idea” to improve the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris provided a more detailed explanation. Healthcare suggestionsincluding under a bill signed by President Joe Biden to lower patient bills.
In 2022, Biden signed the Curbing Inflation Act, which limits the out-of-pocket costs of prescription drugs for Medicare enrollees, including a $35 monthly cap on insulin. The bill also provides additional federal funding to help Americans buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, which expires unless Congress and the president renew it next year.
Harris expands aid; New assistance for Medicare enrollees Those who require home care. She also pledged to continue the federal government’s efforts. reduce medical debtThis is a nationwide problem. burden about 100 million people.
However, most focus group participants said they knew little about these proposals and complained that hot-button issues such as abortion dominated the campaign.
Many also expressed deep skepticism that either Ms. Harris or Mr. Trump would do more to reduce health care costs.
“I think they’re out of touch with our reality,” said Renata Bobakova, 46, a teacher and mother from suburban Cleveland. “We don’t know when we’re going to get sick. We don’t know when we’re going to fall or sprain an ankle. And the prices can be really astronomical. … I always think that I’m worried about that.”
Bobakova, who is from Slovakia, said she returned to Europe 10 years ago to give birth to her daughter to avoid the severe medical debt she knew she would incur in this country. Parents with private health insurance face the following situations on average: Medical expenses of $3,000 or more Matters related to pregnancy and childbirth that are not covered by insurance.
Other focus group participants said they or someone they knew had left the country to obtain cheap prescription drugs. America is the country with the highest medical costs in the world, Research results.
Several focus group participants, including Kevin Gaudette, 64, a former semiconductor engineer from North Carolina, accused large hospitals, drug companies and insurance companies of blocking efforts to lower patient costs to protect profits. criticized. “I think everyone’s opinion matters,” Gaudette said.
Martha Chapman, 64, also retired and living in Philadelphia, pointed to what she called “corporate greed.” “I don’t think that’s going to change,” she said.
Michael Perry, co-founder of Perry Undem, who led two focus groups, said that cynicism was especially problematic for Harris in the final stages of the campaign.
Perry said Harris has sought to position herself as a candidate who is more serious about policy and more sympathetic to the economic struggles of her constituents. And in the last few weeks, she started air a new ad Emphasis on medical issues.
But even focus group participants who said they lean toward Democrats appeared to fault both candidates for failing to address Americans’ health concerns. “They don’t feel heard,” Perry said.
Nevertheless, many participants continued to express hope that an issue as important as health care would one day command the attention of elected officials, regardless of political party.
“We’re all humans here. We’re all just trying to succeed,” said Xaviercia, a building services worker from New Jersey. “If you get sick or have to go to the hospital and do something, you should have the peace of mind that you can go there and not have to worry about paying it back for the next 20 years.”
