Survey: “Curing” Health Coverage a Top Priority for Ohioans
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Columbus, OH – Ohioans overwhelmingly want their state government to look for a "cure" for the health insurance coverage crisis, according to a survey released Tuesday by AARP. Nine out of 10 Ohioans surveyed said it was very important that the state work to make health care more affordable; more than 80 percent said the state should take steps to reduce the number of uninsured Ohioans.
AARP research advisor Erica Dinger says people want state officials to take the lead in fixing the system. They think government, employers and employees should share the responsibility.
"These are people who are not asking for the government to shoulder the entire burden, but with the current economic situation, they really need help in order to make health care affordable."
She points out that people said they were concerned about the health care situation even when they were insured. The survey also found that one third of Ohioans worry that their current health coverage situation will get worse. The survey included 800 Ohioans ages 18 to 64.
More than 70 percent of those surveyed believe the number of uninsured Ohioans is a major problem. Dinger says that perception is backed up by health care statistics.
"Nineteen percent of those we surveyed are currently uninsured. The most recent numbers, from the 2006 population survey, say that 1.3 million Ohioans are uninsured. That's a number equal to the population of the greater Columbus area."
The full survey is available at www.aarp.org.
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