Survey by AARP Ohio examines Ohio attitudes toward health care reform

A new survey by AARP Ohio finds that health care reform is at the forefront of many Ohioans' minds. (Source: Ohio Health Care: A Study of Current Challenges and the Support for State Reform, AARP Ohio, Feb. 2008.) Key findings from the survey of 800 randomly selected Ohio residents ages 18-64, completed by Woelfel Research during December 2007, include:

• Almost seven in ten respondents believe that Ohio is either in a state of crises or has major problems with health care. While 19% of respondents were uninsured, 83% indicate it is extremely or very important that the state work to reduce the number of uninsured residents.
• One-third of respondents are not confident that they will be able to maintain their current level of health care coverage in the next five years, and seven in ten cite rising health care costs as a major problem for the state.
• Nine in ten respondents say it is extremely or very important for Ohio to make health care more affordable for all residents, and 82% strongly agree that all Ohioans should have access to affordable, quality health care coverage. Almost half of respondents identify ensuring affordable health care as the issue most important for the Governor and State Legislature to address.