FULL SURVEY OF THE UNINSURED PART ONE

April 2000
		The following survey by the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation provides extensive data on the problem of the uninsured. Click here to view the second half of the full survey results.

 

Do you think things in this country are generally going in the right direction, or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track?

	Right direction	Wrong track	Don’t know
National Total	46	45	9
National Total Under 65	47	45	8
Uninsured Under 65	40	51	9
Insured Under 65	48	43	8

 

1. Do you personally know someone who doesn’t have health insurance?

	Yes	No	Don’t know
National Total	53	45	1
National Total Under 65	58	41	1
Uninsured Under 65	83	17	1
Insured Under 65	54	45	1

 

2. Do you currently have health care coverage from any health plan or health insurance program including those provided by the government, such as Medicare or Medicaid, or do you not have any health insurance at this time?

	Yes	No	Don’t know
National Total	86	14	*
National Total Under 65	84	16	*
Uninsured Under 65	-	100	-
Insured Under 65	100	-	*

 

 

3. If you were going to describe uninsured Americans - those with no health insurance at all – which one or two types of people would come to your mind first?

	National Total	National Total Under 65	Uninsured Under 65	Insured Under 65
Poor people	33	34	27	35
Unemployed people	16	17	11	19
The elderly	13	13	10	13
Immigrants	4	4	3	5
Children	8	8	6	8
Working families/Employed	18	19	23	18
Members of minority groups	8	8	9	8
People like yourself	2	2	6	2
Homeless	6	7	2	8
Don’t want it/Don’t care	1	*	*	*
Younger people/30 and under	6	5	6	4
Disabled/ill	*	*	1	*
Single parents (single moms and dads	2	3	2	2
Middle aged	*	*	*	*
Uneducated/poorly educated	1	1	1	1
Women/divorced women	1	1	1	1
Other	3	3	4	3
Don’t know	13	12	16	12

* multiple answers accepted

 

4. I’d like to ask you to think about uninsured Americans – that is, people with no health insurance at all. Would you say that more of them are:

	Employed people and people from families in which someone is employed	Unemployed people and people from families in which no one is employed	Don’t Know
National Total	39	57	4
National Total Under 65	41	55	3
Uninsured Under 65	54	41	5
Insured Under 65	40	57	3

 

Do you think Americans with NO health insurance are more likely, less likely, or about the same as those WITH health insurance to. . .

a. Have a regular source where they get medical care

	More Likely	Less Likely	About the Same	Don’t Know
National Total	11	68	18	3
National Total Under 65	11	70	17	2
Uninsured Under 65	16	63	19	2
Insured Under 65	10	71	17	2

 

b. Have had a recent physician visit

	More Likely	Less Likely	About the Same	Don’t Know
National Total	10	74	14	2
National Total Under 65	9	77	13	1
Uninsured Under 65	13	66	19	2
Insured Under 65	9	79	12	1

 

c. Put off or postpone seeking care

	More Likely	Less Likely	About the Same	Don’t Know
National Total	65	22	12	1
National Total Under 65	66	22	12	*
Uninsured Under 65	62	24	14	1
Insured Under 65	66	22	12	*

 

d. Get needed medical care

	More Likely	Less Likely	About the Same	Don’t Know
National Total	13	64	21	1
National Total Under 65	13	66	20	1
Uninsured Under 65	15	62	21	1
Insured Under 65	10	68	21	1

 

e. Use preventive health services

	More Likely	Less Likely	About the Same	Don’t Know
National Total	16	62	18	3
National Total Under 65	16	65	17	2
Uninsured Under 65	19	54	23	3
Insured Under 65	14	67	16	3

 

f. Have health problems

	More Likely	Less Likely	About the Same	Don’t Know
National Total	43	8	47	2
National Total Under 65	43	8	47	1
Uninsured Under 65	38	14	45	2
Insured Under 65	46	8	46	1

 

g. Have hospital or emergency room visits that could have been avoided

	More Likely	Less Likely	About the Same	Don’t Know
National Total	45	30	22	3
National Total Under 65	45	30	24	1
Uninsured Under 65	36	35	26	3
Insured Under 65	47	29	22	1

 

6. I'm going to read you the names of 10 candidates who say they are running for president in the year 2000. Regardless of who you might vote for, please tell me which ONE of these candidates you think would do the best job of addressing the problem of people without health insurance. The candidates are:

	National Total	National Total Under 65	Uninsured Under 65	Insured Under 65
Al Gore	30	30	27	29
Bill Bradley	10	11	8	11
George W. Bush	24	23	27	23
John McCain	7	6	5	6
Pat Buchanan	2	2	3	2
Gary Bauer	1	1	*	1
Alan Keyes	2	2	1	2
Steve Forbes	2	2	2	2
Donald Trump	3	3	3	3
Orrin Hatch	1	1	*	1
Other candidate	*	*	*	*
None would do a good job	5	4	7	4
Don't know	14	14	16	15

 

7. Which of the following, OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO do you think would be the better way to guarantee health insurance coverage for Americans? OPTION ONE is, building on the current system in which employers contribute to their employees' health insurance, which they get through their job, and the Government covers the cost of insurance for the poor and unemployed or OPTION TWO which is, switching to a system in which all individuals would buy their own health insurance but would receive a tax credit or subsidy to help them with the cost of the plan.

	Option One	Option Two	Neither	Don’t Know
National Total	54	39	4	3
National Total Under 65	55	39	4	2
Uninsured Under 65	48	44	5	2
Insured Under 65	56	38	4	2

 

8. I’m going to read you some different ways to guarantee health insurance for more Americans. As I read each one, please tell me whether you would favor it or oppose it. Here’s the (first/next) one…

a. A national health plan, financed by taxpayers, in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single (government) plan.

	Favor	Oppose	Don’t Know
National Total	44	53	3
National Total Under 65	45	53	2
Uninsured Under 65	58	41	1
Insured Under 65	43	55	2

 

b. Requiring businesses to offer private health insurance for their employees

	Favor	Oppose	Don’t Know
National Total	77	21	2
National Total Under 65	78	20	2
Uninsured Under 65	79	19	2
Insured Under 65	78	20	2

 

c. Offering uninsured Americans income tax deductions, tax credits, or other financial assistance to help them purchase private health insurance on their own

	Favor	Oppose	Don’t Know
National Total	74	25	1
National Total Under 65	75	24	1
Uninsured Under 65	77	22	1
Insured Under 65	74	25	1

 

d. Expanding Medicare to cover people under age 65 who do not have health insurance

	Favor	Oppose	Don’t Know
National Total	67	31	2
National Total Under 65	68	30	2
Uninsured Under 65	74	24	2
Insured Under 65	68	30	2

 

e. Expanding state government programs for low-income people, such as Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, to provide coverage for people without health insurance.

	Favor	Oppose	Don’t Know
National Total	78	21	1
National Total Under 65	77	21	1
Uninsured Under 65	83	16	1
Insured Under 65	78	21	1

 

9/10. I’m going to read you some different ways to guarantee health insurance for more Americans. As I read each one, please tell me whether you would favor it or oppose it. Here’s the (first/next) one… / Of those options you just said you favored, which ONE do you MOST prefer? Is it…?

Summary Table

	National Total	National Total Under 65	Uninsured Under 65	Insured Under 65
A single (government) plan to provide health insurance for all Americans	21	22	25	22
A new law requiring businesses to offer private health insurance for their employees	21	22	17	23
A new law offering tax deductions or other financial assistance to help the uninsured pay for private health insurance	20	21	19	20
Expanding Medicare to cover people under age 65 who do not have health insurance	14	12	14	12
Expanding state government programs for low-income people, such as Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, to provide coverage for people without health insurance	21	20	23	21
Do not favor any plans	2	2	1	2
Don’t know	1	1	1	1

 

11. I’d like your opinion of a proposal to deal with the problem of uninsured children… Under this proposal, ALL parents would be required to buy health insurance for their children. Low- and moderate-income parents would receive an income tax refund or subsidy to help them pay for it. Keeping in mind that this would cost the government and taxpayers money, would you favor or oppose requiring all parents to buy health insurance for their children?

	Favor	Oppose	Don’t Know
National Total	57	40	3
National Total Under 65	58	40	2
Uninsured Under 65	53	45	3
Insured Under 65	58	39	2

 

12. As you may know, a few years ago, Congress passed a law to help states cover more uninsured children. What is your opinion of a proposal to extend this insurance to the parents of the eligible child as well? Keeping in mind that this would cost the government and the taxpayers money, would you favor or oppose extending this government subsidized insurance coverage to parents?

	Favor	Oppose	Don’t Know
National Total	56	41	3
National Total Under 65	58	39	3
Uninsured Under 65	65	33	3
Insured Under 65	56	41	3

 

13. Would you be willing to pay FIFTY DOLLARS more per month--either in higher health insurance premiums or higher taxes--in order to increase the number of Americans who have health insurance coverage, or not?

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	41	56	3
National Total Under 65	45	53	2
Uninsured Under 65	47	50	2
Insured Under 65	43	55	3

 

(Asked of respondents not willing to pay an extra fifty dollars)

14. Would you be willing to pay an extra THIRTY DOLLARS a month, or not?

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	20	77	3
National Total Under 65	21	76	2
Uninsured Under 65	31	66	3
Insured Under 65	20	77	3

 

(Asked of respondents not willing to pay an extra thirty dollars)

15. Would you be willing to pay an extra FIVE DOLLARS a month, or not?

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	55	44	2
National Total Under 65	56	43	2
Uninsured Under 65	61	37	2
Insured Under 65	57	42	1

 

13/14/15. Would you be willing to pay FIFTY DOLLARS more per month--either in higher health insurance premiums or higher taxes--in order to increase the number of Americans who have health insurance coverage, or not?/ Would you be willing to pay an extra THIRTY DOLLARS a month, or not?/ Would you be willing to pay an extra FIVE DOLLARS a month, or not?

Summary:

	Willing to Pay				Not willing to pay	Don’t Know
	NET	$50	$30	$5
National Total	79	41	12	26	20	1
National Total Under 65	81	45	12	24	19	1
Uninsured Under 65	86	47	16	22	14	1
Insured Under 65	80	43	12	26	19	1

 

16. There are many reasons why people do not have health insurance. For each of the following, please tell me if this is a major reason, a minor reason, or not a reason why you do not currently have health insurance.

	Uninsured Under 65
	Reason			Not a Reason	Don’t Know
	NET	Major	Minor
a. You are unemployed or between jobs	48	36	12	52	-
b. Another family member HAS health insurance, but it does NOT cover you	42	25	17	58	*
c. Your job doesn’t offer coverage	61	48	13	38	1
d. You can’t get coverage or were refused insurance due to poor health, illness, or age	40	23	16	60	-
e. It is too expensive	86	74	11	14	*
f. You don’t think you need it	40	19	21	59	1
g. You don’t know how to get insurance	35	16	19	65	*
h. You don’t think anyone will sell you coverage	35	17	18	64	1

 

 Q16 Major Reason Summary

	Uninsured Under 65 Saying Each is a Major Reason
You are unemployed or between jobs	36
Another family member HAS health insurance, but it does NOT cover you	25
Your job doesn’t offer coverage	48
You can’t get coverage or were refused insurance due to poor health, illness, or age	23
It is too expensive	74
You don’t think you need it	19
You don’t know how to get insurance	16
You don’t think anyone will sell you coverage	17

 

16/17. There are many reasons why people do not have health insurance. For each of the following, please tell me if this is a major reason, a minor reason, or not a reason why you do not currently have health insurance./ Of those things you just said were major reasons, which ONE is the MOST important reason?

	Uninsured Under 65
You are unemployed or between jobs	15
Another family member has health insurance, but it does not cover you	3
Your job doesn’t offer coverage	15
You can’t get coverage or were refused insurance due to poor health, illness, or age	5
It is too expensive	47
You are in good health so you don’t think you need it	3
You don’t know how to get insurance	3
You don’t think anyone will sell you coverage	1
None are major reasons	7
Don’t know	1

 

(Asked of uninsured respondents)

18. How long have you been uninsured?

	< 3 months	3 months – < 1 year	1 year – < 2 years	2 years +	Don’t Know
Uninsured Under 65	11	16	12	59	2

 

Do you have a regular place you go to when you are sick or want medical advice?

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	87	12	*
National Total Under 65	86	14	*
Uninsured Under 65	64	36	-
Insured Under 65	91	9	*

 

20. At what type of health care place do you usually receive your medical care?

(READ IF NECESSARY: Is it a doctor’s office, a clinic or health center, a hospital emergency room, a holistic or alternative medicine provider, or some other place?)

	National Total	National Total Under 65	Uninsured Under 65	Insured Under 65
Doctor’s office	68	66	34	72
Clinic or health center	20	22	35	20
Hospital emergency room	9	9	18	7
A holistic or alternative medicine provider	*	*	1	*
Nowhere	1	2	11	*
Other	1	1	1	1
Don’t Know	-	-	1	-

 

21. Gender

	Male	Female
National Total	48	52
National Total Under 65	51	49
Uninsured Under 65	52	48
Insured Under 65	49	51

 

22. In the last 12 months, have you (READ LIST) …

a. Received a mammogram (asked of female respondents only)

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	39	61	*
National Total Under 65	36	64	-
Uninsured Under 65	16	84	-
Insured Under 65	40	60	-

 

b. Received a pap smear (asked of female respondents only)

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	65	35	1
National Total Under 65	73	27	*
Uninsured Under 65	49	51	*
Insured Under 65	76	24	*

 

c. Received a prostate exam (asked of male respondents only)

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	25	75	*
National Total Under 65	19	81	*
Uninsured Under 65	12	87	*
Insured Under 65	20	79	*

 

d. Received a routine physical examination or check up

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	69	31	*
National Total Under 65	66	34	*
Uninsured Under 65	47	53	-
Insured Under 65	70	30	*

 

e. Visited a doctor (or health clinic) for an illness?

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	59	41	-
National Total Under 65	58	42	-
Uninsured Under 65	46	54	-
Insured Under 65	61	39	-

 

f. Received care in an emergency room?

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	24	76	-
National Total Under 65	24	76	-
Uninsured Under 65	27	73	-
Insured Under 65	24	76	-

 

Summary Table – Percent who said "Yes" to Each

	National Total	National Total Under 65	Uninsured Under 65	Insured Under 65
Received a routine physical examination or check up	69	66	47	70
Received a pap smear (Asked of female respondents)	65	73	49	76
Visited a doctor (or health clinic) for an illness	59	58	46	61
Received a mammogram (Asked of female respondents)	39	36	16	40
Received a prostate exam (Asked of male respondents)	25	19	12	20
Received care in an emergency room	24	24	27	24

 

23. In the past year, did you have any problems paying medical bills, including doctor or hospital, prescription drugs, nursing home, or home care bills?

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	20	80	*
National Total Under 65	21	79	*
Uninsured Under 65	39	60	*
Insured Under 65	18	82	*

 

(Asked of respondents who had problems paying medical bills)

24. How much of an impact have these bills had on you and your family… a major impact, a minor impact, or no real impact on you and your family?

	Impact
	NET	Major Impact	Minor Impact	No Impact	Don’t Know
National Total	89	48	41	10	1
National Total Under 65	89	50	39	10	1
Uninsured Under 65	94	68	26	6	-
Insured Under 65	87	40	47	12	1

 

25. In the past year, because of the cost have you … (READ EACH ITEM)

a. Skipped a recommended medical test or treatment

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	15	85	-
National Total Under 65	17	83	-
Uninsured Under 65	39	61	*
Insured Under 65	13	87	-

 

b. Not filled a prescription

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	13	87	*
National Total Under 65	14	86	*
Uninsured Under 65	30	69	*
Insured Under 65	12	88	-

 

c. Had problems getting mental health care

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
National Total	4	96	1
National Total Under 65	4	95	*
Uninsured Under 65	13	86	1
Insured Under 65	4	96	*

/(insert state-specific)?

	Yes	No	Don’t Know
Uninsured Under 65	20	79	1

 

 

Health Desk
A Partnership of the Kaiser Family Foundation and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

 

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