Delaware Statewide Poll on Consumer Expectations and Experiences with Health Care Costs and Coverage in 2022
A new poll from Impact Research and GBAO Strategies 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 72% agreeing that the costs of health care are going up more than other things they need, Delawareans are ready to support politicians who make reducing health care costs a priority.
The main problem: out-of-pocket costs are too high.
Delaware voters point to out-of-pocket costs as the biggest issue by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
What do you think is the single biggest issue people face with the health care system in Delaware today?
Delawareans are feeling the strain of inflation, and that includes the prices they are paying for gas and energy, food, and health care. In fact, 83% of voters say the amount they pay out of pocket for health care seems to be going up every year, and 56% said they have skipped or delayed getting the health care they need because they are concerned about how much they will have to pay out-of-pocket.
Cost increases and the unpredictability of out-of-pocket costs lead as the drivers of concerns about health care costs.
56% of Delaware voters say at some point they’ve skipped or delayed care out of concerns over out-of-pocket costs.
Delawareans want their elected officials to take action to reduce health care costs. More than 7-in-10 voters (74%) say they are more likely to support a candidate who makes reducing health care costs their top priority, including strong majorities of persuadable voters (73%) and Independents (72%).
Delaware voters think capping insurance deductibles at a level that is low enough that people don’t go into debt when getting the health care they need, capping the amount health insurers can charge patients overall, and requiring health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to pass the rebates or discounts they receive from drug companies on to patients 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.
Read more about the findings of our latest health care survey below: