title: Social surveys and health policy implications for national health insurance.
abstract: The authors explore the utility of applying social survey data (a) to evaluate the impact of existing health programs and (b) to rank-order priorities concerning future health care policies. Based on national survey data from 1963, 1970, and 1976, they concluded that although Medicare and Medicaid have enabled more people to see a physician than ever before, a large proportion of the population still registers dissatisfaction with the health care they received--particularly with respect to their out-of-pocket costs for obtaining it. However, national health insurance options favored by the majority of the population--particularly those who can best afford the cost of care--suggest preferences for programs that incorporate some mix of existing modes of financing rather than those that provide for substantial restructuring of the current system.
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid; D006278:Medicare; D009310:National Health Insurance, United States; D014481:United States