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

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Sep 30, 2011, 05:00 ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans' confidence in their ability to access and pay for healthcare rose in September, according to a sentiment-tracking index produced by Thomson Reuters.

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The Thomson Reuters Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index gained one point, climbing from 97 August to 98 in September. The baseline measurement of 100 was set in December 2009.

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

A retrospective component gauges respondents' experiences during the past three months. In September, the retrospective index jumped two points, from 96 to 98. Respondents said they had been less likely to delay or cancel a doctors' office visit and also less likely to delay or fail filling a prescription.
A prospective component gauges respondents' expectations for the next three months. The prospective index remained stable at 98 in September as respondents expressed more optimism about their ability to pay for insurance and healthcare services going forward.

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

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SOURCE Thomson Reuters