For many people in the USA health care costs stand out compared to other goods and services as being exceptionally expensive. This is according to the results of a recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive.
The majority of the public think that the cost of prescription drugs, hospitals and doctors' services are unreasonably high, whereas relatively few people think this is true for the cost of packaged goods, clothes and automobiles. As a result, many favor federal government price controls of prescription drugs and hospitals, and a plurality favor price controls for doctors' bills.The survey found that 66% of all adults think that prescription drug prices are unreasonably high. This is an increase over the number who felt this way in three earlier surveys conducted over the last three years. Last year 57% thought that prescription drug prices were unreasonably high. Presumably it is this strong feeling about prescription drug prices which causes a 60% to 35% majority to favour federal government price controls.
The number who feel that hospital charges are unreasonably high (64%) is virtually identical to the people who feel that way about prescription drug prices. Over the last four years, the proportions of adults who felt that hospital charges were unreasonably high has varied between 54% and 67%. These numbers would clearly be higher if consumers had to pay a higher proportion of their own hospital bills, or if their out-of-pocket costs for hospital care had risen sharply over the last few years, like the out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. The 55% to 39% majority who favor federal government price controls of hospitals is a little lower than the majority favoring price control of prescription drugs.
A majority, but a smaller one, (55%) also thinks that doctor bills are unreasonably high. This is a significant increase over previous years. From 2000 to 2003, between 38% and 49% felt this way. The increase since last year is a sizable 12 points, up from 43% to this year's 55%. When it comes to the federal government regulating the prices charged by doctors, the public is split with 48% in favour and 46% opposed.
The Harris Poll(r) was conducted by telephone within the United States between August 10 and 15, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 1,012 adults (ages 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, number of adults, number of voice/telephone lines in the household, region and size of place were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.
