Press Release

Should People With Unhealthy Habits Pay More for Health Insurance? Americans’ Opinions Are Divided.

The Majority of Americans Are Willing to Change Health Behaviors to Save Money

Boston, MA and Burlington, MA - Nearly three-fourths of Americans would change their health behavior if it could save them money, according to a new survey conducted by Silverlink Communications® Inc., the leader in healthcare consumer communications. The survey was conducted in partnership with Suffolk University in Boston.

The Silverlink Personal Accountability in Healthcare survey asked Americans whether health is in a person’s own control and if health behaviors impact the country’s overall healthcare costs. Other questions probed whether people with unhealthy habits should pay more for health insurance, and what, if any, monthly savings would motivate a change in health behaviors. Finally, the survey asked if the current healthcare system should be changed.

The following insights highlight the key findings of the survey.

• In general, the majority of Americans (76%) feel that a person’s health is within their own control.
• There is also fairly widespread awareness (70% of Americans) that personal health behaviors impact the nation’s overall healthcare costs.
• However, even though Americans think they are in control and are aware of the link between health behaviors and costs, Americans are split (52% yes; 48% no) in opinion as to whether people should be held personally accountable for health choices (i.e., should those with unhealthy habits pay more for health insurance?).

• The majority (73%) of Americans are willing to change their health behavior if they could save money – one-fifth of the population for less than $100 per month.  The median savings expressed by those who are willing to change their health behaviors is $350 per month or roughly equivalent to the average U.S. monthly car payment.

• Several interesting insights emerge when the data is cut by demographic variables, perceived health status and by health insurance type.
  • As people report better health status, they increasingly believe in personal accountability in healthcare.
  • People with good, very good, or excellent health believe that a person’s health is within their control more readily than those with fair or poor health.
  • Americans with higher incomes and education levels are more likely to believe that their personal health behavior impacts our country’s overall healthcare costs.
  • Those who purchase individual health insurance policies are more in favor of personal accountability in healthcare than people with other types of health insurance coverage.  This is perhaps due to the fact that the individually insured are more cognizant of the full cost of healthcare. The uninsured are the group least likely to believe in personal accountability in healthcare.

• People living in the Northeast and the West are more likely to believe that our country’s healthcare system needs to change vs. those in the Midwest and South.

"Our survey reveals a widespread recognition of the connection between health behaviors and the unsustainable costs in our healthcare system," says Stan Nowak, CEO and co-founder of Silverlink Communications. "Treatment of preventable conditions accounts for as much as 70% of our $2.4 trillion annual healthcare spend. As we consider broad-based healthcare reform, now is the time to build personal accountability into the reform process."

David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said: "This pilot partnership creates an opportunity for Suffolk University to offer its research expertise on a critical national issue – healthcare. When Suffolk polled Massachusetts residents in 2007, they overwhelmingly supported change as the Commonwealth embarked on a program of mandated universal healthcare. Now, the Obama Administration grapples with the same issue on the national level."

The complete results of this survey are available for download at the Suffolk University website at http://www.suffolk.edu/research/35939.html.

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