Transcript Slide 1

Key findings are based on recently conducted surveys:
 Questions from an Election Night Survey
A national phone survey of 800 actual voters
conducted on November 2nd, 2004, election night.
The margin of error on this survey is +3.5%. This
survey was conducted by Public Opinion
Strategies.
 A National Survey of Registered Voters
A phone national survey of 1000 registered voters
conducted November 4, 6-7, 2004, with a margin of
error of +3.1%. This survey was conducted by
Public Opinion Strategies in conjunction with Hart
Research.
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Key findings are based on recently conducted surveys: (cont.)

An Internet Survey of 500 Physicians
An internet survey of 500 physicians conducted November 3-4, 2004. The margin of error on
this survey is +4.4%. This survey was conducted by Cooper Research in conjunction with Blue
Cross Blue Shield Association.
The physicians survey used a fax/internet methodology to recruit and interview the
respondents.
The sampling frame was a list of over 342,000 practicing U.S. physicians in The Little Blue Book
Physician Master File. Two systematic random samples of 10,000 physicians each were drawn
from the total file. Only one physician from each office was eligible to participate.
Physicians were invited to take part in the survey via broadcast faxes which were sent out on
two successive waves on November 3rd and 4th. The invitation asked the physician to
participate in a major non-partisan survey on critical election issues related to health care.
Each physician was given the survey URL as well as and a unique login code to access the site.
If a physician encountered problems in either accessing or completing the survey he/she could
receive assistance via a toll free help line.
Hourly reports of completed interviews by years in practice, geography, and medical specialty
were monitored to ensure the interviews were well balanced. Responses were cut off when 501
interviews were completed.
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Health care concerns ranked third behind Iraq and the economy in
what issues were important to voters when deciding how to vote
for President.
Iraq
31%
Econom y
23%
Health care
15%
Moral Values
War on terror
Hom eland Security
14%
13%
11%
Combined
And, putting aside character or other personal issues for the presidential campaign, what one or two issues
were most important to you when deciding to vote for President?
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Presidential Ballot By Respondent’s Top TWO Most
Important Vote Issues
Kerry Advantage
Bush Advantage
11% HOMELAND SECURITY
64%
(BUSH 82% - KERRY 18%)
14% MORAL VALUES
51%
(BUSH 75% - KERRY 24%)
13% WAR ON TERROR
45%
(BUSH 72% - KERRY 27%)
23%
31% IRAQ
(BUSH 38% - KERRY 61%)
28%
23% ECONOMY
(BUSH 35% - KERRY 63%)
15% HEALTH CARE
57%
(BUSH 21% - KERRY 78%)
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Voters were asked, based upon what they heard during the
presidential campaign, whether they thought President Bush
and Senator Kerry each had a plan to “make health coverage
more affordable.”
Among those voters who recalled either candidate having a
health care plan, we asked voters to describe what they
remember and whether this plan made them more or less
likely to vote for that candidate.
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Recall of President Bush’s health care plan.
Just over one third (35%) of voters
said they thought President Bush
had a plan “to make health
coverage more affordable” during
the campaign. What voters recall
most about President Bush’s plan
was his proposal to make health
care more affordable and more
accessible for everyone, especially
seniors. In addition, voters were
aware of his stand against frivolous
lawsuits and his support for
decreasing government control and
emphasizing health care delivered
by the private sector. Some
respondents also mention Bush’s
support for health savings
accounts and the preservation of
Social Security.
Asked of those who recalled President Bush
having a health care plan
GOP
IND
DEM
More Likely Less Likely No
21%
7%
3%
9%
9%
Total Less Likely
2%
Difference
79%
90%
82%
Total More Likely
17%
No
Difference
81%
And did George W. Bush’s affordable health coverage plan or
proposal make you more likely to vote for him, less likely to
vote for him or did it not really make a difference in your vote?
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Recall of Senator Kerry’s health care plan.
Almost half of the electorate
(47%) said they thought Senator
Kerry had a plan “to make health
coverage more affordable.” What
voters recall about Senator
Kerry’s plan was his proposal to
make health care more affordable
and available to seniors and the
poor in particular, by getting rid of
tax breaks for the upper income
bracket. Voters also cite his idea
to offer the health care coverage
congressional members have to
every American. Some
respondents also mention his
proposal for increasing
government control and creating
a “national health care” plan.
Asked of those who recalled Senator Kerry
having a health care plan
More Likely Less Likely No Difference
GOP
11%
19%
70%
IND
39%
12%
48%
DEM
55%
1%
44%
Total Less
Likely
6%
Total More
Likely
45%
No
Difference
49%
And did John Kerry’s affordable health coverage plan or
proposal make you more likely to vote for him, less likely to
vote for him or did it not really make a difference in your vote?
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When voters are asked to select their two most important domestic
issue priorities, they select “the economy and jobs” and “health care
and prescription drug prices.”
41%
The economy and j obs
40%
Health care and prescription drug prices
29%
Social Security and Medicare
21%
Education
18%
Moral v alues issues
15%
Taxes
12%
The federal deficit
Immigration
The env ironment
8%
7%
Combined
Now, other than the concern about the situation in Iraq or the issue of terrorism and national security, as Congress
begins in 2005, which ONE of the following issues do you want your Member of Congress to focus on FIRST ...
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Almost two thirds of those with private health insurance say their
out-of-pocket costs have gone up over the past year.
Asked of those who have private
health insurance
Asked of those whose costs have gone up
64%
Mean: 26.6%
29%
27%
17%
16%
14%
16%
4%
Gone
Up
Gone
Down
Stayed
the same
1-9
10-15
16-20
21-49
50-100
Has the amount you are paying out of your own
Just as your best guess, by what PERCENT would you say your
pocket this year compared to last year...– gone total out of pocket costs have gone up in the past year, compared to
up...gone down – OR...stayed about the same?
the year before?
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Given the concern about cost, we asked voters to rate on a
scale of one to five, with five being the most important,
multiple factors to learn more about what they believe
contributes to rising healthcare costs. The findings highlight
the focus on prescription drug costs, the cost of hospital
care, and medical malpractice costs. “Profits in the health
care industry” scores in the middle rank of the other factors
tested.
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Top factors voters believe contribute to rising
healthcare costs.
FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS
% '5'
The cost of prescription drugs
60%
The cost of hospital care
51%
Medical malpractice insurance and lawsuits
48%
Waste, fraud and abuse in healthcare
44%
Profits in the healthcare industry
40%
The cost of medical technology such as CT scans and
MRI’s
39%
The poor health habits of Americans
38%
The aging population
36%
Federal and state laws imposing new regulations on
health care providers
29%
The increased use of health care services
22%
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Looking forward to the next Congress, we asked people to
rate on a scale of one to five, with five being the most
important, how important it was to them that Congress make
progress on this issue over the next two years. Interestingly,
there is not one key health care issue that voters feel is most
important for Congress, but rather a variety of issues that
require attention.
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Issues Congress should make progress in the
next two years.
TOP TIER ISSUES CONGRESS SHOULD MAKE PROGRESS ON IN
NEXT TWO YEARS
% '5'
Assuring every American has access to health care coverage
68%
Making sure people have access to affordable prescription drugs
67%
Slowing down the steep rise in health care costs
63%
Reducing the costly fraud and abuse in the health care system.
56%
Working with those people whose incomes are too low to afford their
own health care coverage but still make too much to be eligible for
government health programs, to make sure they get the health
insurance coverage they need.
52%
Providing new tax credits to small businesses that can NOT afford
health insurance so they can pay for health care coverage for their
employees
51%
Making sure the millions of adults and children eligible for government
health programs get enrolled in these programs to get the health care
coverage they need.
50%
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MIDDLE AND BOTTOM TIER ISSUES CONGRESS SHOULD MAKE
PROGRESS ON IN NEXT TWO YEARS
% '5'
Providing new tax credits so people who can NOT afford
health insurance would be able to buy it.
49%
Making sure seniors have more choices of different
private health care plans to receive their Medicare
benefits.
46%
Reforming the medical malpractice liability system
45%
Getting Americans to adopt healthier lifestyles by, for
example, increasing the number of people regularly
exercising or losing weight
40%
Expanding programs to educate those Americans who
do not have health care coverage but are making fifty
thousand dollars a year or more about the importance of
health care coverage and the financial risks and pitfalls
of going without it.
22%
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Looking across partisan lines, there is some agreement on
the top five issues that are most important for Congress to
address – specifically “slowing down the steep rise in health
care costs” and “making sure people have access to
affordable prescription drugs.”
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However, it is clear that Republicans are more focused on the
medical malpractice issue while Democrats feel more attention
should be given to government programs.
ISSUES CONGRESS SHOULD MAKE PROGRESS ON IN NEXT TWO YEARS (%5)
Republicans (41%)
Independents (18%)
59%
Every American
access to health care
coverage
Reform med mal
liability system
57%
Access to affordable
Rx drugs
56%
Slow steep rise in
health care costs
Reduce fraud &
abuse in the health
care system
Tax credits to small
business
Democrats (39%)
71%
Every American
access to health
care coverage
83%
Access to affordable
Rx drugs
70%
Access to affordable
Rx drugs
76%
Slow steep rise in
health care costs
65%
Slow steep rise in
health care costs
66%
55%
Coverage for
incomes too low to
afford, but to high to
be eligible gov’t
programs
63%
52%
Those eligible for
gov’t programs get
enrolled
62%
55%
Reduce fraud & abuse
in the health care
system
53%
Coverage for incomes
too low to afford, but to
high to be eligible gov’t
programs
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We tested ten different programs that we told participants
could be sponsored by health insurance companies and
asked people how important a priority each should be. The
findings broadly mirror the results of the other portions of
the study.
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The clear message across multiple questions and
multiple scales is a concern about the need to deal
with the cost of prescription drugs.
TOP TIER HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS
TOTAL
ABSOLUTE/
HIGH
PRIORITY
Work with doctors to get consumers the most effective drugs
at reasonable prices.
78%
Work with law enforcement to cut down on the waste, fraud,
and abuse in the health care system by focusing on medical
providers who submit false claims, pad the bills, or provide
less care for the money billed.
65%
Work with a team of health care professionals to help people
better manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma,
or heart problems.
63%
Partner with doctors and hospitals to develop new
approaches to improve the quality of care.
62%
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MID TIER HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS
TOTAL
ABSOLUTE/
HIGH
PRIORITY
Provide consumers with information about medical conditions and
treatment options to enable them to make informed decisions for
themselves and their families.
58%
Provide doctors with information from their extensive claims database to
improve the quality of medical care by identifying the most effective
treatments
58%
Emphasize preventive medicine, which would include reminding patients
to schedule regular physicals, well-baby visits, mammograms, or cancer
screenings. This would also include 24-hour a day, seven days a week
nurse advisory line for patients to call and ask questions
54%
Work together to develop a system allowing the electronic exchange of
clinical and administrative information between doctors, hospitals,
insurers, patients and the government to help minimize expensive
paperwork.
51%
Provide public education campaigns to promote healthier lifestyles, such
as encouraging greater physical activity, even as little as half an hour
each day of walking, fighting obesity, and stopping smoking.
48%
Develop new health insurance products to help consumers better manage
their own health care costs.
45%
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There’s one overall finding that dominates the response from the
physicians surveyed: Fix the medical malpractice liability system.
FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS (% ‘5”)
Doctors
Voters
Medical malpractice insurance and lawsuits
71%
48%
The aging population
42%
36%
The cost of prescription drugs
42%
60%
The poor health habits of Americans
37%
38%
Federal and state laws imposing new regulations on
health care providers
35%
29%
The cost of hospital care
32%
51%
The cost of medical technology such as CT scans and
MRI’s
27%
39%
The increased use of health care services
26%
22%
Profits in the healthcare industry
24%
40%
Waste, fraud and abuse in healthcare
19%
44%
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There’s one overall finding that dominates the response from the
physicians surveyed: Fix the medical malpractice liability system.
ISSUES CONGRESS SHOULD MAKE PROGRESS ON IN NEXT TWO YEARS (% ‘5’)
Doctors
Voters
Reforming the medical malpractice liability system
80%
45%
Assuring every American has access to health care coverage
43%
68%
Getting Americans to adopt healthier lifestyles by, for example, increasing the number of people
regularly exercising or losing weight
43%
40%
Making sure people have access to affordable prescription drugs
40%
67%
Providing new tax credits to small businesses that can NOT afford health insurance so they can pay
for health care coverage for their employees
39%
51%
Working with those people whose incomes are too low to afford their own health care coverage but
still make too much to be eligible for government health programs, to make sure they get the health
insurance coverage they need
32%
52%
Providing new tax credits so people who can NOT afford health insurance would be able to buy it.
30%
49%
Slowing down the steep rise in health care costs
30%
63%
Making sure the millions of adults and children eligible for government health programs get enrolled
in these programs to get the health care coverage they need
27%
50%
Reducing the costly fraud and abuse in the health care system
24%
56%
Expanding programs to educate those Americans who do not have health care coverage but are
making fifty thousand dollars a year or more about the importance of health care coverage and the
financial risks and pitfalls of going without it.
20%
22%
Making sure seniors have more choices of different private health care plans to receive their
Medicare benefits
16%
46%
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When asked at the end of the internet study, “to tell us what you think are
the one or two most important things that could be done to reduce the
rising cost of healthcare,” there are three broad physician messages;
however, by a ratio of approximately three-to-one physicians cite the
medical malpractice issue:

Limit frivolous lawsuits and support legal reform. Physicians believe
that by limiting lawsuits and putting a cap on the amount of money
awarded to injured patients, the cost of healthcare will significantly
decrease.

Preventive medicine and patient responsibility in health care was
another top mention. Physicians say individuals need to take better
care of themselves and become more educated about health issues in
general.

A national/universal health care plan would lower costs and increase
quality and coverage.

“Reform of liability insurance to minimize defensive medical practice. fair
reimbursements to physicians. limit percentage of settlement that lawyers can reap
from suits. physicians improve policing themselves. avoid punitive response to
reporting of medical errors in health care system . this would allow for better
identification of problem areas and targeted improvement.” YEARS PRACTICE:1014 SPECIALITY:OB/GYN

“Make people responsible for their health--if overweight, they must demonstrate
some weight loss; if smoker, they must stop. perhaps the cost of their copay would
go up if they don't try to improve their health? Make a connection between the care
received and the cost of that care. Too many people insist on MRI when they don't
require one.” YEARS PRACTICE:10-14 SPECIALITY: Rheumatology

“Reduce malpractice costs which include extra tests and care performed to protect
care providers reduce cost of medicine and medical products including product
liability costs.” YEARS PRACTICE:10-14 SPECIALITY: Anesthesiology

“Universal healthcare or insurance rates based on patient's healthy or unhealthy
lifestyles.” YEARS PRACTICE:10-14 SPECIALITY: Family/General Practice
When presented with the same list of ten items health insurers could
sponsor, physicians’ priorities for health insurers differ from the public as
physicians put the highest emphasis on preventive care and working to
have people adopt a healthier lifestyle.
TOP TIER HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS
Doctors
Emphasize preventive medicine, which
would include reminding patients to
schedule regular physicals, well-baby visits,
mammograms, or cancer screenings…
Provide public education campaigns to
promote healthier lifestyles, such as
encouraging greater physical activity, even
as little as half an hour each day of walking,
fighting obesity, and stopping smoking.
Work with doctors to get consumers the
most effective drugs at reasonable prices.
Develop new health insurance products to
help consumers better manage their own
health care costs.
TOTAL
ABSOLUTE/
HIGH
PRIORITY
Voters
TOTAL
ABSOLUTE/
HIGH
PRIORITY
65%
Work with doctors to get
consumers the most effective drugs
at reasonable prices.
78%
64%
Work with law enforcement to cut
down on the waste, fraud, and
abuse in the health care system by
focusing on medical providers who
submit false claims, pad the bills, or
provide less care for the money
billed.
65%
59%
Work with a team of health care
professionals to help people better
manage chronic conditions such as
diabetes, asthma, or heart
problems.
63%
59%
Partner with doctors and hospitals
to develop new approaches to
improve the quality of care.
62%
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