politics and health care

By Dave Harney

A recent survey by Rochester polling company Harris Interactive and the Harvard School of Public Health finds Americans are generally split on the issue of whether the United States has the best health care system in the world.  Not surprisingly, there is a significant divide along party lines. Nearly seven in ten Republicans believe the U.S. health care system is the best in the world, compared to just three in ten Democrats and four in ten Independents who feel the same way.

This poll was conducted during a period of debate over the comparative merits of the U.S. health care system and the health care systems in other countries.  President George W. Bush and other prominent political figures claim the U.S. has the best system in the world. At the same time, the World Health Organization (WHO) and others have ranked the U.S. below many other countries in their comparisons.

When asked if they would be more likely to support or oppose a presidential candidate who advocates making the U.S. health care system more like health systems in other countries, specifically Canada, France, and Great Britain, only one in five Republicans say they would be more likely to support such a candidate. This is compared to more than half of Democrats and more than a third of Independents who say they would be more likely to support such a candidate.

The view that the U.S. health care system lags other countries seems largely driven by the view that the U.S. is behind in controlling health care costs and providing affordable access to everyone. In comparing how the U.S. stacks up against other countries in specific areas, a slim majority (55%) of Americans believe the U.S. health care system is better in terms of the quality of care patients receive, while 53% believe the US has shorter waiting times to see specialists or be admitted to the hospital. However, very few believe that the U.S. has the edge when it comes to providing affordable access to everyone and controlling health care costs

Once again, there are contrasts in how Republicans view the United States’ standing on these elements and how Democrats and Independents rate the U.S. As an example, four in ten Republicans believe the U.S health care system is better than other countries when it comes to making sure everyone can get affordable health care, compared to just one in five Democrats and Independents who share that belief. On each of the four elements tested, Independents are within a few percentage points of agreement with Democrats, and both are significantly separated from Republicans.

"The health care debate in this election involves starkly different views of the U.S. health care system," says Robert J. Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health. "One party sees it as lagging other countries across a broad range of problem areas while the other party sees the system as the best in the world with a more limited range of problems."