Montana Statewide Poll on Consumer Expectations and Experiences with Health Care Costs and Coverage in 2022
A new poll from Impact Research and Lake Research Partners on behalf of Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) finds that voters see high out-of-pocket costs as the biggest issue in health care. With 70% agreeing that the costs of health care are going up more than other things they need, Montanans are ready to support politicians who make lowering out-of-pocket costs a priority.
The main problem: out-of-pocket costs are too high.
Montana voters point to out-of-pocket costs by more than a 2-to-1 margin over the next highest option – too many people lack access to mental health services.
What do you think is the single biggest issue people face with the health care system in Montana today?
Montanans are feeling the strain of inflation, and that includes the prices they are paying for gas and energy, food, and health care. In fact, 86% of voters say the amount they pay out of pocket for health care seems to be going up every year, and 71% feel that insurance companies nickel and dime consumers with out-of-pocket costs.
Cost increases and the unpredictability of out-of-pocket costs lead as the drivers of concerns about health care costs.
61% of Montana voters say at some point they’ve skipped or delayed care out of concerns over out-of-pocket costs.
Montanans want their elected officials to take action to lower out-of-pocket health care costs. With nearly 7-in-10 voters (68%) say they are more likely to support a candidate who makes reducing health care costs their top priority, including strong majorities of persuadable voters (61%) Independents (69%), and voters in both the Butte (71%) and Missoula (66%) media markets.
Montana voters feel that requiring health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to pass the rebates or discounts they receive from drug companies on to patients, capping insurance deductibles at a level that is low enough that people don’t go into debt when getting the health care they need, and placing a cap on the amount insurers can make patients pay for out-of-pocket costs would be effective policy solutions to lowering health care costs.
Capping costs and regulating pharmacy benefits are the policies voters think will do the most to reduce health care costs.
Voters believe these policies will reduce costs.
Learn more about the survey findings: