Rising health costs affect health care use

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) recently published its 2007 Health Confidence Survey. Its major findings:

• Most Americans getting hit with higher health costs: 63 percent with health insurance coverage report an increase in their share of costs.
  
  
• Effects on household finances: These increases have hurt household finances, in particular, a decrease in contributions to retirement and other savings and difficulty paying for basic necessities and other bills.
  
  
• Wellness programs supported in concept: Although 82 percent are positive about wellness programs in general, they are less comfortable with specific programs that employers might offer, and are suspicious of employer motivations for offering these types of programs.
  
  
• Unhappiness with the health care system: 60 percent rate the health care system as fair or poor; many feel the health care system needs a complete overhaul (24%) or major changes (47%).
  
  
• Strong support for employer mandate: 91 percent support an employer mandate. 42 percent believe that all employers, regardless of size, should be required to provide and contribute to health insurance coverage for their workers.

2007 Health Confidence Survey (pdf, 12pp/144kB)