October 20th, 2009 – According to a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Americans have conflicting views on whether a health reform overhaul will help matters, make them worse or leave things about the same.
One-third of all Americans are worried about losing their current health insurance coverage. 55 percent of the Americans polled said they are tracking Health Reform legislation fairly or very closely, but they’re not sure how much difference it will all make.
Of the people who think the health care overhaul will affect them personally, those who fear less access and higher costs outnumber those who expect to benefit. 39 percent of those polled think access to health care will improve, while 29 percent say it will stay the same, and 33 percent think it will get worse.
As for the country’s finances, 38 percent say they think a health care overhaul will make things worse, while only about 35 percent see an improvement. Twenty-seven percent say it will make no difference.
After reading this study, it seems the American people have a better understanding of the challenges and implications of health care reform than many of the Senators and members of Congress.
As far as corporate America is concerned, the big beneficiaries of health care reform will be the pharmaceutical and hospital industries. The insurance industry looks like the major loser, which many fear will result in higher health insurance premiums for individuals and small businesses.
