Republican and Democratic voters have displayed differing views on the nation's health care problems in the primaries, says the New England Journal of Medicine's report, Health Care in the 2008 Presidential Primaries.
"Although Americans agree that health care is an important problem in this country, there are huge differences between Republicans and Democrats on what should be done to improve health care," says Robert J. Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the study.
The report states three-quarters (75%) of Democrats disapprove of President Bush's handling of health care. Among Republicans, slightly less than half (43%) approve, while 38% disapprove. Half of both Democrats (47%) and Republicans (49%) agree that "fundamental changes" need to be made to the health care system.
"In the primaries, we're seeing the presidential candidates adopt health plans that to some extent mirror the concerns of the party's core voters -- with leading Democrats aiming for universal coverage by building on the employer-based system and Republicans offering tax-based incentives to encourage more people to buy coverage on their own," says Drew E. Altman, Ph.D., a co-author of the study and president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Forty-five percent of Republican respondents feel it is the individual's responsibility to ensure that he or she has health insurance, while 39% of Democrats think the responsibility lies with the government. Nearly 80% of Democrats favor universal coverage, while 53% of Republicans oppose it.
The report, published by researchers at Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health, surveyed primary voters in 35 states (and the District of Columbia) that have January or February caucuses or primaries. Data from ten recent surveys by national media outlets was also considered.
Employee Benefit Adviser is also keeping up with the issues. A recent inBrief item, discussed results of an Employee Benefit News and CBIZ Benefits & Insurance survey, which questioned 456 HR professionals and corporate executives.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents think that no matter who is elected, the country will not see significant health care reform. Seven out of ten (69%) believe that employer-based health care will continue to be the primary mechanism for benefits delivery, while 11% advocate universal coverage.
In addition HR directors' sentiments over the election, financial advisers have a number of fears unique to their group for 2008. According toBrinker Capital's Brinker Barometer, some advisers say their single greatest economic worry is for 2008 is a Democrat in the White House. Twenty two percent of advisers indicated "Democrat in the White House," well ahead of all other economic concerns, including "Global Unrest" (15%), and "U.S. Economic Growth" (15%). Further down the worry hierarchy, 13% each selected "Terrorist Attack" and "Recession," while single digit selections included "Value of the Dollar" (6%), "Iraq War" (5%), "Republican in White House" (3%), "Inflation" (3%) and "No Major Worry" (4%).
"With the close of 2007, advisors anticipate 2008 to be an eventful year, given the Presidential elections and the government's efforts to mitigate economic uncertainty," says John Coyne, President of Brinker Capital. "Despite recent market volatility and executive turnover at some of the country's largest financial institutions, our confidence index continues to indicate a positive economic outlook held by advisors. While predictions are largely bullish, advisors may alter their sentiment based on the results of the 2008 White House race."
For a copy of the full fourth quarter Brinker survey, please contact: Jemile Dragovic, jdragovic@middlebergcommunications.com
