Families still reeling from the recession, feeling pessimistic about the future, and many of them struggling to cut back spending in order to cover health expenses – that is the portrait painted by the recent survey CCF conducted with Lake Research Partners.  This is worrisome news for the fragile economic recovery with so many families feeling burdened with such heavy health care expenses.

The survey also provides clues as to what the American public would like to see from health care reform by delving deeper into how families currently pay for health care and what the American people consider to be “affordable” health care coverage.   Here are some of the findings that emerged from the survey:

• Paying for health care puts families in a tight financial bind. In the last two years, many voters report that paying for health care has caused them to cut back on household spending (44%); build up credit card and medical debt (23%); use up all or most of their savings (21%); and have someone in their household do without health insurance (21%).

• The vast majority of Americans think bringing down health care costs is of greater concern to them than making sure health reform doesn’t cost the federal government too much.  (In other words, they were more concerned with shoring up the financially strapped family pocketbooks than the federal purse.)

• The amount families consider to be affordable to pay for health care coverage is lower than what many are required to pay each month, and lower than some options being considered in health care reform.

• Two thirds of the voters surveyed said a $362 premium was too expensive for a family of three earning $45,000 a year (the estimated premium cost under the proposal passed by the Senate Finance Committee).  More than half feel $305 a month was too expensive for a family of three earning $45,000 a year (the proposed premium cost in the bill that passed the House in October).

I have been involved in many surveys over the years.  There is usually one finding that takes me by surprise.  I was amazed that such a large percentage of those surveyed reported that they had cut back their spending over the past year due to health expenses.  (Remember, most of those surveyed are insured.)  This point brought home for me how important it is for policymakers to get family health care costs under control in order to get the economy back on track.

More information about the survey is available on CCF’s website.