Consumers believe it’s the US government’s responsibility to ensure healthcare coverage for all

The data: Nearly two-thirds (62%) of US adults believe it is the federal government’s responsibility to ensure that all Americans have healthcare coverage, per recent survey results from Gallup.

• The figure is the highest it’s been in over a decade since dropping to 43% in 2013.
• Gallup surveyed 1,001 adults ages 18+ across the US in November.

Yes, and: The survey results also provide a pulse on consumers’ perceptions of the quality of healthcare and coverage in the US, neither of which are positive.

• Consumers’ positive rating of the quality of healthcare in the US is at its lowest point in Gallup’s trend, dating back to 2001.
• The 44% of consumers who rate the quality of healthcare as excellent (11%) or good (33%) is down 10 percentage points from 2020.

As has traditionally been the case, consumers rated healthcare coverage in the US even lower than quality.

• A mere 28% say coverage is excellent or good, far below the 41% high point set in 2012 and 4 percentage points lower than the average since 2001.

Zooming in: The survey results come amid the backdrop of consumers’ harsh reactions on social media to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They directed anger toward health insurers over tactics used to avoid paying for members’ care or treatment.

The suspected gunman, aged 26 years old, has since been found with a manifesto criticizing healthcare companies for putting profits above care, per the NYT.

Why it matters: The alleged gunman is a Gen Zer—a cohort with a particular disdain of the healthcare system. Gen Zers express a greater level of distrust of health insurance companies than all other generations, per our December 2023 US Digital Health survey.

This could spell trouble for legacy healthcare organizations, particularly insurers that could lose the trust of younger consumers who are just beginning their patient journeys.

Our take: Consumers’ interactions with the fragmented US healthcare system have been particularly chaotic in the post-pandemic era, with issues like prohibitively high costs, health underinsurance, and soaring claim denials negatively affecting their experiences and generating confusion.

It’s of little surprise that exasperated Americans believe that the federal government should be the entity responsible for ensuring coverage and preventing private health insurers from denying needed medical care. But with a for-profit US healthcare system that incentivizes health insurers to make coverage decisions that are best for their business, consumers’ wishes are unlikely to become a reality.

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