The end of 2010 marked the first full calendar year of survey data on American’s experiences and expectations with its health care. Since 2009 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has tracked consumer confidence in health care.
How did the year begin?
How did the year end?
What happened along the way?
The answer to the last question is easy. On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
What is interesting is that for the index overall and in almost every sub-group, the index peaked in April shortly after the passage of health care reform and then trailed off ending lower than where it started.
The biggest swings were in the groups that had the most to gain from meaningful health care reform, the uninsured, the low income, and the young.
High income and older people showed little change during the year.
Among the uninsured, the year began at 54.3, peaked in April at 69.0 and then trailed of to 50.0 in December.
Likewise among low income families, the index started off at 82.7, hit 85.1 in April, and 86.3 in September and October before plummeting to 71.5 in December.
The index followed a similar trend among the young, beginning the year at 92.6, climbing to 105.2 in April, dipping during the summer before reaching a peak in September of 109.2 and them sinking to 84.2 – a 21 point swing during the year.
The last measure is particularly interesting since it is young people who saw the first real impact of health reform. The PPACA allowed children up to age 26 to stay on their parents’ health plan. Did the 27-34 cohort tip that measure? Or was it the those in the 18-26 group who did not have parents with heath insurance?
The survey authors carefully note that no clear trends emerge from these data. Perhaps statistically that is accurate. But for some, the numbers do tell a story, a story of hope followed by promise, followed by the reality of a promise delayed.
Photo Credit: JL McGee
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