FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2009
New Poll Shows Large Majority of Americans Like U.S. Healthcare
ATLANTA, GA – An astounding 79 percent of Americans say they would seek medical care in the United States over any nation in the world if they had a serious medical condition, according to a new poll released today by the Center for Health Transformation (CHT).
The nationwide poll, conducted by Insider Advantage, asked respondents if they or a family member had a serious illness such as a heart condition or cancer would they choose the United States, England, Canada, Germany, Japan or another nation to seek medical treatment. Overwhelmingly the choice was the United States.
“No matter what the politicians in Washington have to say, the people know that American ingenuity and innovation save lives in this country like nowhere else on the planet,” said Nancy Desmond, CEO of the Center for Health Transformation. “While there is room for improvement in terms of being more individual centered, prevention-focused and IT-rich, we have to make sure that the steps we take move in that direction. Instead, the current proposal in the House moves us in the direction of more government control, which will escalate the challenges we face while destroying the innovative, private sector, individual-centered parts of the healthcare system that work.”
The Insider Advantage poll conducted a nationwide sample of 907 registered voters on Aug. 10. When asked their opinion of Congress, 27 percent of the respondents had a favorable rating. By comparison, when asked their opinion of insurance companies, 43 percent reported a favorable opinion.
When asked whether the quality of healthcare you and your family received was favorable or unfavorable, 75 percent responded favorably. Sixty-two percent of those ages 18 to 29 reported their healthcare was favorable to somewhat favorable.
“Even a majority of young people, who often don’t think that much about healthcare have positive sentiments about the quality of care they or their family members get in this country,” Desmond said. “It makes you wonder what is driving the need to expand the type of government-run healthcare that has failed in other countries.”
CHT is promoting a list of principles and a six-step plan for improving the quality of American health. Among the key principles are putting individuals and their chosen physicians in charge of their health decisions; creating an electronic system that will prevent errors and fight fraud; litigation reform so physicians don’t play defensive medicine; a greater focus on wellness and prevention; expanding access to affordable private-sector healthcare to all Americans; and providing Americans with incentives and information to make choices that will save lives and save money. To read the poll, go to www.healthtransformation.net
For more information, or to schedule an interview with Nancy Desmond, please contact Alissa Momberg at 202.375.2001 or by e-mail at amomberg@gingrichgroup.com.
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About the Center for Health Transformation (CHT)
The Center for Health Transformation is a high-impact collaboration of private and public sector leaders committed to creating a 21st Century Intelligent Health System that saves lives and saves money for all Americans. CHT is based on the following premise: Small changes or reactionary fixes to separate pieces of the current system have not and will not work. We need a system-wide transformation. Unlike other alliances, CHT unites stakeholders across the spectrum (providers, employers, vendors, trade associations, disease groups, think tanks) and government leaders at both the state and federal level to drive transformation according to a shared vision and key principles.
