The "Washington Post" follows up it's weekend article on Health Care with this one on Drug reimportation.
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Poll Finds Backing For Drug Reimports
Bush Rated Low on Health Issues
By Ceci Connolly and Claudia Deane
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, October 20, 2003; Page A12
As their drug bills soar, a solid majority of Americans say they want Congress to legalize the importation of lower-priced medicines from Canada and Europe, and would be willing to pay higher taxes to provide prescription drug benefits to senior citizens, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Although those polled expressed satisfaction with their insurance and medical care, the nationwide survey revealed deep anxiety about the future of the nation's safety net, with more than half saying they are especially fearful of losing health coverage or not being able to afford it in the future.
Eight in 10 said that providing health insurance to all Americans was more important than holding down taxes. The survey also found that 6 in 10 would prefer a system that covers everyone over the present arrangement, in which nearly 44 million people lack insurance. That support drops below half if such a system meant a limited choice of doctors or waiting lists for care.
Even the "lucky" ones, such as Eric Courtland, worry about the instability of the U.S. system.
"For most of the country, there is no safety net," said Courtland, 51, of Glen Burnie, who describes his Defense Department insurance as excellent. "They don't get the care -- they just fall through the cracks. They just don't get what they need, even preventive medicine -- just the very basics."
Thirteen months before the next election, the public's perceptions of the health care system track the partisan and economic splits seen on a range of other issues. By comfortable margins, Republicans and the affluent reported being content with the quality of care in the United States; minorities, Democrats, the uninsured and individuals in poor health voice the most complaints.
President Bush, in keeping with previous polls, receives some of his lowest job performance ratings in the area of health -- particularly in providing prescription drug coverage for retirees and tackling the cost and availability of insurance. Only 1 in 3 people said they approved of his handling of those areas, compared with half who supported his efforts in Iraq and 67 percent who approved of the president's prosecution of the war against terror.
The results come as policymakers are wrangling over the health care issues on which voters are demanding action. Republican congressional leaders did not meet a self-imposed deadline Friday for settling on the outlines of a Medicare prescription drug benefit.
In conjunction with those negotiations, lawmakers are debating whether to permit consumers to import prescription drugs. In a lopsided, bipartisan vote in July, the House approved a plan to legalize the practice, also known as reimportation because many medicines brought in from other countries are manufactured in the United States.
The poll, conducted Oct. 9 to 13, found strong bipartisan support for opening drug markets, despite warnings by the Food and Drug Administration that it cannot guarantee the safety of those products. Two-thirds said they believe drug importation should be legal; 12 percent said that they or a family member had shopped for medicine outside the United States to save money.
When he lived in eastern Washington state, Paul Masters made the three-hour drive to Canada to save $60 on a one-month supply of his allergy medicine, Claritin, which required a prescription at the time.
"Our insurance company told us to do that," said Masters, a Presbyterian minister who lives outside Philadelphia. Like many surveyed, Masters is unmoved by the arguments of the FDA and the drug makers. He said stockholders, not consumers, should pay for research and development, and federal regulators should devise a strategy for safely importing drug imports similar to the current system for inspecting imported food.
Elsie Mack, 81, of Chicago, wants to go a step further. "They should have the same prices in every country," she said.
The poll showed that Americans are united by twin fears: skyrocketing costs and the vicissitudes of a patchwork system that can leave anyone suddenly uncovered.
"I don't know what I would do if I lost my insurance," said Mary Jane Keane of Connecticut. At 51, she has rheumatoid arthritis, a painful illness that requires expensive medication and frequent tests. "I am totally dependent on that insurance," she said.
Concern over the price of health insurance rises steadily with age. A majority of those younger than 30 are not worried about premium costs, whereas about 6 in 10 ages 30 to 50 say they do worry, along with 7 in 10 of those older than 50. Democrats, minorities and lower-paid workers also expressed greater fears about losing coverage.
Overall, a large majority of Americans (78 percent) say they are dissatisfied with the total cost of health care, and a narrow majority (54 percent) say they are dissatisfied with overall quality as well -- up 10 percentage points since a poll in 2000. Nearly 7 in 10 Democrats are unhappy with the quality of U.S. care, while 6 in 10 Republicans say they are satisfied.
Twice as many people in households earning more than $100,000 a year are happy with the system as in the under $20,000 bracket (68 percent compared with 34 percent).
The poll surveyed 1,000 randomly selected adults. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Often, personal worries drove overall evaluations of the system. Among those who said they are "very worried" about affording insurance over the next few years, 70 percent say they are dissatisfied with the quality of care, compared with 32 percent of those who are "not worried at all."
Laurie Smith, 32, was hit with sticker shock when she left her job as a social worker to have a baby. Her monthly health insurance premium leaped from $24 to $400 for her family of three.
"I have several friends who have not been able to stay home with children, and a big reason has been insurance," said Smith, of Fayetteville, Ark.
Some respondents said their medical decisions require a complex mathematical calculation. When Valerie Wyandt, 48, switched jobs in July, she turned down the grocery store's health insurance, figuring the $140 monthly premium was much more than the $43 a month she now pays for hormone pills. But the Sarasota, Fla., woman knows it is a gamble.
"Normally, I'm a healthy person," she said. "If anything does happen, I'm screwed."
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