Support for National Health Insurance: Intercohort Differentials

Abstract

HEALTH care and health insurance remain major concerns for Americans despite the enactments of Medicare and Medicaid legislation in the 1960s. These concerns have been attributed by some to increasing out-of-pocket expenses for health care (Aday, et al., 1977:513) and appear to manifest themselves in strong support for renewed federal intervention in health care (e.g., Erskine, 1975). Specifically, there is a persistent and considerable proportion of the American public which supports a program of universally available national health insurance (Gallup, 1978:36).A recent Gallup (1978:39ff) poll of Americans shows that more than 64 percent of the noninstitutionalized, civilian population favor a program of national health insurance. Among the reasons offered for this support were a desire to expand the access of medical care to those perceived to be currently underserved (e.g., the poor, elderly), Abstract Past research has demonstrated that the majority of the American public favor some form of national health insurance (NHI), but the sources of this support have not been clearly identified. This paper shows that support for NHI follows party lines, with Democrats most favoring it, followed by Independents and Republicans. The young, women, blacks, the less educated (among others) also favor NHI more than others, but it is apparently not a "personal need" for the insurance that prompts this support. Lack of adequate insurance coverage, dissatisfaction with current care, or poor access to health care are not associated with support for NHI. Instead, cognizance of the larger socioeconomic issues (particularly rising society-wide health care costs), in addition to political identification, generates support for NHI.

Compassionate Politics: Support for Old‐Age Programs Among the Non Elderly

“…Support for old-age programs persists despite evidence that members of younger generations pay more and fear their returns will be less than those received by members of previous generations (CBS/New York Times, 1983;"Social Security," 1985). In some cases, there is a small but persistent trend indicating that younger people are actually somewhat more supportive than the elderly of expanded old-age health care and income maintenance schemes (AARP, 1987(AARP, , 1990bClemente, 1975;Huddy, 1989;Ponza, Duncan, Corcoran, & Groskind, 1988;Rhodebeck, 1993;Steiber & Ferber, 1981).…”