Press Release Details

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans lack confidence that healthcare reform will deliver more affordable or better quality medical care, according to a survey released today by Thomson Reuters.

Forty-one percent of survey respondents said they believed reform will make healthcare more affordable. When sorted by political affiliation, however, the results of the survey show sharp divisions along party lines: 72 percent of Democrats said they believe reform will lower healthcare costs versus 12 percent of Republicans.

The results are from a telephone survey of 3,003 households conducted from Sept 8-17 -- a segment of the Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare Survey, the biggest, longest-running survey of its kind. Each year, PULSE polls more than 100,000 U.S. households about healthcare behaviors, attitudes and utilization.

Here are the key findings:

    --  Lack of Faith That Reform Will Improve Cost or Quality: A minority of
        survey respondents (41 percent) believes healthcare reform will improve
        the cost of care. Even fewer (35 percent) believe it will improve the
        quality of care.

    --  Sharp Political Division: 72 percent of Democrats believe reform will
        lower healthcare costs compared with 35 percent of Independents and 12
        percent of Republicans. The sharp division also was apparent when
        respondents were asked about the impact of reform on the quality of
        care: 66 percent of Democrats, 29 percent of Independents, and 8 percent
        of Republicans said they believed reform would improve quality.

    --  Majority of All Americans Willing to Pay Higher Taxes for Healthcare: 63
        percent of survey respondents said they were willing to pay additional
        taxes to fund healthcare reform. That includes 78 percent of Democrats,
        64 percent of Independents, and 48 percent of Republicans.

    --  Most Believe Americans Should Get the Best Care, But Don't: 76 percent
        of respondents agree or strongly agree that Americans are "entitled to
        the best healthcare available." However, fewer than half (43 percent)
        believe the United States has the best healthcare system.

    --  Majority Satisfied with Status Quo: The survey asked respondents to rate
        their satisfaction with their healthcare providers, costs, and insurance
        coverage. Seventy-seven percent said they were satisfied with their
        doctor, 68 percent were satisfied with their health insurance coverage,
        and 53 percent were satisfied with the amount they pay out-of-pocket for
        healthcare.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: TRI) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: TRI). For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.

SOURCE Thomson Reuters

David Wilkins, +1-734-913-3397, David.wilkins@thomsonreuters.com