Most Americans are concerned about rising health care costs, an AP-NORC poll shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most U.S. adults are concerned about health care becoming more expensive, according to a new AP-NORC poll, as they make decisions about health coverage in the coming year and a government shutdown keeps future health costs in limbo for millions.

About 6 in 10 Americans are “very” or “extremely” concerned about rising health care costs in the next year, the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found — a concern that spans across age groups and includes people with and without health insurance.

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Many Americans have other health care concerns as well. The survey found that about 4 in 10 Americans feel “very” or “extremely” concerned about not being able to pay for the health care or medications they need, not being able to get health care when they need it, or losing or not getting health insurance.

Medicare beneficiaries are already shopping for coverage next year, and open enrollment periods for many other health plans are quickly approaching in November. Federal policies have left millions of people at risk of skyrocketing health insurance premiums or losing their health insurance altogether. The results show that many Americans feel vulnerable to rising health care costs, with some expressing concerns about whether they will get coverage at all.

LaToya Wilson, an independent nursing consultant in Lafayette, Louisiana, currently uses a health insurance plan from the Affordable Care Act marketplace. But in the past two weeks, the 46-year-old has applied for more jobs than she had previously in her life, largely because she is concerned about rising her insurance premiums and wants the stability of employer-sponsored insurance.

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“Even before these health care cuts were put in place, I was already having a lot of trouble getting the care I needed this year,” she said. “Anything worse than what I already have is too scary.”

Health care remains important to Americans when it’s at the center of attention in Washington

About 8 in 10 American adults say health care is “extremely” or “very” important to them personally. That includes about 9 in 10 Democrats and three-quarters of Republicans, and puts health care next to the economy among Americans’ top priorities.

This heightened attention to the issue raises the political stakes in what has already been a defining moment for federal health policy in the nation’s capital.

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The massive bill passed by President Donald Trump this summer cuts more than $1 trillion from federal health care and food aid over a decade, largely by imposing work requirements on those receiving the aid and by shifting some federal costs to states. Republicans say the cuts will prevent people who don’t need help from gaming the system, but the cuts will ultimately cause millions of people to lose health insurance coverage, according to projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

More pressingly, congressional gridlock over Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring this year has pushed the federal government into a shutdown that has been dragged into a fourth straight week with no end in sight. Democratic lawmakers want any funding bill they sign to extend subsidies, which made ACA premiums less expensive for millions of people. Republicans in Congress have expressed a willingness to negotiate the issue, but only after the government reopens.

In interviews, some Americans said they doubted government leaders would take action to address their concerns about health care.

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“The mission of the federal government is to provide a better way of life for its people,” said Caleb Richter, a 30-year-old certified nursing assistant in Belleville, Wisconsin, who identifies as an independent. “Right now, it’s like they’re not trying.”

But the poll reveals a deep ideological divide over what role government should play, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to say it is the federal government’s job to make sure all Americans have health coverage. About 8 in 10 Democrats say so, compared to about a third of Republicans.

The poll found that most US adults disapprove of Trump’s handling of health care

Health care remains a weak point for Trump. Only about 3 in 10 American adults approve of the Republican president’s handling of health care, which has not changed appreciably since September. Not nearly all Democrats agree with his approach, but so do about 8 in 10 independents and about a third of Republicans.

Wilson, a Democrat, said she believes Trump should “do things that affect the group’s interest” when it comes to health care, including catering more to working-class Americans.

But Michelle Troskowski, a disabled veteran in Sterling Heights, Michigan, who is politically conservative, said she appreciates the way Trump is focused on reducing fraud and abuse in the health care system.

“I like that people who shouldn’t be getting benefits from the government are being kicked out,” the 48-year-old said. “Health care is not a right. It is a privilege.”

Democrats trust health care more than Republicans, but many do not trust either

About 4 in 10 American adults say they trust Democrats to do a better job on health care, compared with about a quarter who have more confidence in Republicans. About a quarter don’t trust either party, and about 1 in 10 trust both equally.

Americans are more likely to trust their party on health care, overall, but 76% of Democrats trust their party more on health care, while only 57% of Republicans have more confidence in their party.

Independents are especially likely to distrust either party on health care — about half of independents say so. But remaining independents are likely to trust Democrats.

Richter, of Wisconsin, said he wishes Congress would put more trust and funding in hospital workers who know how to help patients. He said he was fine with paying higher taxes if it meant ensuring health care for people who needed it.

But instead of working to find solutions, he said, federal lawmakers are acting “like a bunch of high school kids arguing.”

“My faith that something will get done is very low at this point,” Richter said. “It’s like they don’t really care.”

Swenson reported from New York.