It’s A Matter of Perspective
I have always wondered how I could be so differently wired politically than some of my best friends. We make our livings in the same field (healthcare related), share similar hobbies, went to the same schools, etc…. but look at politics totally differently.
So, I was intrigued by seeing the following survey http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/HealthPolicy/tb/8084 results of a telephone survey, a joint venture between the Harvard School of Public Health and the Kaiser Family Foundation, which was conducted from Nov. 1 through Nov. 11, 2007 and responses were statistically weighted to reflect the U.S. population.
The researchers also considered data from 10 other recent surveys by national media polling organizations. Among the findings:
- 43% of Republicans approved of Bush’s handling of health care compared with 14% of Democrats
- 44% of Republicans rated the nation’s health care system as excellent, but only 20% of Democrats gave it those high marks
- 66% of Republicans are dissatisfied with the cost of health care in the U.S. compared with 89% of Democrats
- 58% of Republicans are satisfied with the quality of care in the U.S. but only 20% of Democrats feel that way
So, take a look at how differently Republicans and Democrats view healthcare. For example, the survey found that 58% of Republicans are satisfied with the quality of care in the US. Yet, only 20% of Democrats are satisfied. So, are we all being treated by the same healthcare providers? Maybe not when you account for age, education, income, etc… However, I would assume with some reason that we are seeing the same providers, both Democrats and Republicans. Instead, I think politically, we are just wired differently. We all bring our own experiences, biases, and backgrounds into the healthcare and political arena. I don’t see how a 38% difference can be accounted for other than bias of being in favor of our healthcare system (Republicans) or not in favor (Democrats) long before any treatment occurs.
Another example from above is that only 44% of Republicans rate our U.S system as excellent. I think that number should be higher, but there are improvements to be made for sure. Yet, it seems amazing to me that only 20% of Democrats would rate our system as excellent. So, again, I guess we are just wired differently???
January 25th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Well, “excellent” is a very strong term that I think a lot of people would have a problem rating for anything. What you are going to find is that people who have had bad experiences with a particular provider are not going to answer that question with a “yes”. A bad experience with a provider reflects poorly on the system as a whole. You said yourself that there were improvements to be made, so that might imply that your rating might not be considered excellent either. What’s the scale: “poor - good - excellent” or 1-10 with 1 being terrible and 10 being excellent? It’s a hard thing to quantify.
In reality, the system can be confusing at times. You go to the doctor, give them your insurance card, see the doctor,leave, receive a statement from the doctor 2 weeks later showing what was billed to your insurance company, receive a statement from you insurance company 1 month later showing what they paid, receive a statement from your doctor 6 weeks later showing what wasn’t paid on your behalf and to pay up now. If your family is going to the doctor on a semi-regular basis, the paper you receive can be overwhelming on it’s own.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:06 am
All great thoughts Josh. I think the main point for me here on this post is the pure difference in how people that describe themselves as Democrats vs Republicans view the healthcare system. Given controlled variables; race, education, income, geographic regions etc… we basically all see the same medical providers. So, the question really is one of why the gap in our perceptions?
January 27th, 2008 at 10:09 am
If you expect something to be free and it’s not, then the further it gets from free, the less excellent it becomes.