New West Health-Gallup poll reveals most Americans worried about often hidden healthcare fees

(Press-News.org) WASHINGTON, DC – Monday, December 9, 2024 – More than half of Americans (52%) worry about affording the cost of often hidden healthcare fees, increasingly pervasive charges that could add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to their medical bills a new West Health-Gallup poll finds.

Hospitals typically add these fees on top of charges for routine medical services like lab tests or physical examinations provided at outpatient centers, clinics, and medical offices that they own. This means patients end up paying more for the same medical service than they would at independent providers or freestanding clinics – and some may not even know it. In the new poll, half said (50%) they were unaware if they were ever charged fees while 29% said they were.

Given the high-price of healthcare, and that hospital care is the single largest source of expenditure within the U.S. healthcare system, it comes as no surprise federal reforms on facility fees have strong bipartisan support. Nearly eight in 10 (79%) of Americans, including majorities of both Democrats (88%) and Republicans (75%), support federal legislation that limit when and how much hospital systems can charge for facility fees.

“The time for site-neutral payment reform is long overdue,” said Tim Lash, President, West Health Policy Center, a nonprofit focused on healthcare and aging. “The high and rising costs of healthcare requires addressing the market inefficiencies that come from site-specific payment rates. A new policy could save patients and taxpayers billions in healthcare costs. There is clear directive for Congress to act.”

The West Health-Gallup poll found more than 70% agree that hospitals should not be able to charge more for the same care and services provided regardless of where that care is provided (site-neutral payment).

METHODOLOGY

The West Health-Gallup Post-Election Healthcare Survey was conducted by web November 11-18, 2024, with 3,583 adults aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia as a part of the Gallup Panel. For results based on the full sample, the margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level is ±2.1 percentage points for response percentages around 50% and is ±1.2 percentage points for response percentages around 10% or 90%, design effect included. Reported sub-groups will have a larger margin of error, typically ±3 to 5 percentage points.

Gallup weighted the combined samples to correct for nonresponse. Nonresponse adjustments were made by adjusting the sample to match the national demographics of gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education and region. Demographic weighting targets were based on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. population.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.

About West Health
Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation and Gary and Mary West Health Institute in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. Learn more at westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.

About Gallup
Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.

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