Studies & Public Opinion 

As the debate heats up, research and polling on the impact of rising healthcare costs and public opinion has begun to emerge. Below are links to some of these recent studies.

CDC Study Finds That Visits to Hosptials and Doctor's Offices Have Increased

A CDC study released on June 29 showed visits to hospitals and doctor's offices increased 20 percent from 2000 to 2005. Click here to read the full study. 

Californians Want Healthcare Reform, Support Governor Schwarzenegger's Plan

The Public Policy Institute of California found in a recent survey that Californians strongly support healthcare reform efforts and support Governor Schwarzenegger's plan to cover everyone and spread out the cost accross employers, government and individuals. Link to the poll here: http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=757

Increased Access Leads to Better Quality Care 

A new report by the Commonweatlh Fund found that healthcare access and quality varies widely among states. States with the most access to care also provided the highest quality of care. The top five states were Hawaii, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine and the lowest were Nevada, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. Read the full study here 

Disease Management Leads to Cost Savings

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently ranked states in their success with disease management. This data suggests that if state's do a better job of managing diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, there would be a tremendous cost savings. Read this study here

Health Care A Top Concern in 2008 Presidential Campaign

A recent poll, conducted by The Winston Group, showed that 94 percent of voters oppose government run healthcare.

Americans Favor Universal Coverage And Believe System Needs Overhaul

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll revealed that the majority of Americans favor universal health care believe the nation's healthcare is in need of major reforms. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/01/opinion/polls/main2528357.shtml

Healthcare Costs Are On The Rise

The United States Chamber of Commerce released a study on February 23, 2007 showing that employee benefit costs are continuing to rise.
http://www.uschamber.com/publications/reports/benefits.htm

The U.S. Department of Labor study released in late February 2007 showed that healthcare costs are expected to double by 2016.
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.26.2.w242

Californians Want The Healthcare Crisis Solved

In January 2007, the Public Policy Institute of California tested the attitudes of Californians toward the healthcare debate and found that the vast majority of likely voters believe there is a healthcare crisis and want to see a solution.
http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=734