Healthcare Consumer Confidence Improves Again in June, According to Thomson Reuters Sentiment Index

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Jul 01, 2011, 12:00 ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans' confidence in their ability to access and pay for healthcare improved for the second straight month in June, according to a consumer sentiment index produced by Thomson Reuters.

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The Thomson Reuters Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index rose one point from 98 to 99 and is up four points since hitting a low of 95 in April.

The index, which is based on the Thomson Reuters PULSE™ Healthcare Survey, has two parts:

A prospective component gauges respondents' expectations for the next three months. In June, prospective consumer sentiment jumped to 100 -- three points higher than it had been in May. Specifically, consumers predicted that they would be better able to pay for healthcare services and insurance and less likely to cancel or delay services.
A retrospective component gauges respondents' experiences during the past three months. It tracks whether they postponed, delayed or cancelled healthcare services and whether they had difficulty paying for medical care or health insurance. In June, retrospective consumer sentiment was unchanged from the previous month, remaining at 98.

The Thomson Reuters Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index is updated monthly. A full report on the June results is available here: http://healthcare.thomsonreuters.com/Indexes/assets/CHSI_Findings_June_11.pdf

The Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare Survey collects information about healthcare behaviors, attitudes and utilization from more than 100,000 U.S. households annually. It is representative of all U.S. adults and households. The Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index is based on responses from a survey subset of 3,000 respondents each month. Its baseline measurement of 100 was set in December 2009.

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SOURCE Thomson Reuters