Most Americans Don't Believe Fully Funded Health Care Is a Right, Policygenius Survey Finds

And nearly 31% wouldn't be willing to pay a penny more in taxes for universal health care

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Dec 06, 2017, 07:30 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost 63% of people don't feel fully funded health care is a right of all Americans, a new Policygenius survey finds.

So what do they think are rights? More than 60% of survey respondents feel Americans are entitled to public education (62.3%), clean water (61.8%) and police/fire department services (60%). In fact, the only service with less support than health care, in terms of the government footing the bill, is trash pickup (30%).

On top of that, 31% of Americans would not be willing to pay anything — that's $0 — beyond what they're already paying in annual taxes to have fully funded health care. That's counterintuitive, given that the average American spends nearly $10,000 a year on health care costs, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. This breaks down to paying about $4,000 on premiums and almost $4,500 on out-of-pocket expenses before hitting a deductible.

Democrats & Low-Income Americans More Open to Universal Health Care

The survey found Democrats are most likely (69%) to think fully funded health care is a right of all Americans, substantially more than Republicans (20%) and Independents (43%).

Surprisingly, individuals in lower income brackets are willing to put a bigger portion of their paychecks toward universal health care compared to those at the higher end — 27% of people making more than $150,000 a year said they would not pay any additional taxes,16% of people making $35,000 to $49,999 a year said they'd be willing to pay between $2,000 to $5,000 more annually to ensure all Americans would be covered.

"Public sentiment around health insurance suggests two things," Jennifer Fitzgerald, Policygenius CEO and co-founder, said. "People are woefully unaware of how much they're currently paying for health insurance. Their feelings on health care are also largely linked to their politics and ideals, not their finances."

Methodology: Policygenius commissioned Google Consumer Surveys to poll a nationally representative sample of 1,500 adults ages 25 to 64 online from Oct. 10 to Oct. 12, 2017. The survey's margin of error is between 3% and 5%. You can see the full survey results here.

About Policygenius: Policygenius is an independent online insurance marketplace helping people get the coverage they need — and feel good about it. We want people to feel informed about what they're shopping for, so we get rid of all the jargon and actually make personal finance fun. And when it's time to shop for and buy coverage for any aspect of life — from health and life insurance to pet and renters insurance — consumers feel ready.

For more information:
Brooke Niemeyer
Partnerships Manager
[email protected]

SOURCE Policygenius