Americans Feel Solicitude For Healthcare System

     Many insured Americans think the current healthcare system works, but say not understanding their plans stresses them, a Cigna survey indicated.

Photo: Americans Feel Solicitude For Healthcare System

   Among the survey findings the global health service company highlighted in a release Wednesday were:

  -- A majority of Americans, 79 percent and most with insurance, said the existing healthcare system works for them.

  -- Forty percent of Americans said they get stressed thinking about healthcare costs and coverage.

  -- About 20 percent of respondents said they found making healthcare-related decisions more difficult than other activities such as sitting in traffic, traveling with small children, going on a job interview or preparing taxes.

  -- Insured Americans said understanding their healthcare plans ranked below understanding documents such as mortgages, contracts for services, retirement plans and car warranties.

  The United States currently operates under a mixed market health care system. Government sources (federal, state, and local) account for 45% of U.S. health care expenditures. Private sources account for the remainder with 38% of people receiving health coverage through their employer and 17% arising from other private payment such as private insurance and out-of-pocket copays, according to Bloomfield's report.