The September 23, 2004 issue of
The New England Journal of Medicine contained
an article entitled
Health Care in the 2004 Presidential Election.
The study's purpose was to examine the importance of
healthcare as an issue for voters in the November 2004
elections. The study used data from 22 national opinion
surveys.
According to the results, voters ranked healthcare
as the fourth most important issue in casting their
presidential vote. In cases where voters were asked
to state in their own words which healthcare issues
were the most important in their voting decision, the
three main issues were: the cost of healthcare and
prescription drugs; Medicare and healthcare issues
concerning the elderly; and the uninsured and access
to healthcare. (One percent cited quality of care as
the most important healthcare issue.) In cases where
voters were given a list of 11 options, the top three
issues were: the cost of healthcare and health insurance;
the cost of prescription drugs; and prescription drug
benefits for the elderly. (The number of Americans
without health insurance came fourth in this list.)
Democrats were more likely to cite healthcare as the
single most important issue in voting for a candidate
(19%) than Independents (13%) or Republicans (9%).
Similarly, voters aged 65 or older were more likely
than those younger to cite healthcare as the single
most important issue in voting for a candidate (21%
versus 12%).
Meanwhile, for Canadians, the title of a
poll dated May 22, 2004, conducted during the
2004 Canadian federal election says it all: "Healthcare
Tops List As Most Important Issue At Outset Of Federal
Election Campaign."
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Article published on Oct 1 04
12:59AM.
