According to a recent Gallup poll, less than half of Americans (44%) feel good about the quality of healthcare in the country. Only 28% are satisfied with healthcare coverage. These indicators are down from a high in 2012, when 62% were happy with healthcare quality, and 41% were satisfied with coverage.
Since Gallup began asking about perceptions of healthcare quality and coverage in 2001, there has been a wide partisan gap in public opinion, with few exceptions.
Regarding healthcare quality, that gap is now at 8%, with 50% of Democrats and 42% of Republicans satisfied. There is marginally more agreement between the parties on healthcare coverage, with only 30% of Democrats and 25% of Republicans satisfied.
Like many social topics, there is also a wide gap between how Americans view their situation and the country’s general state of affairs. When respondents were asked about the quality of healthcare they personally receive, 71% expressed satisfaction. Almost two-thirds (65%) are happy with their own healthcare coverage.
Only 19% of U.S. adults, with 19% of Republicans and 15% of Democrats, are happy about the cost of healthcare in the country. Around a quarter of all Americans (23%) rate cost as the nation’s most urgent healthcare problem.
The survey was part of Gallup’s “Social Series,” which measures U.S. views on numerous social, political and economic topics. More results, including the survey’s methodology, can be found here.
Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.