With lawmakers pushing to make President Obama’s August recess deadline to introduce comprehensive health reform legislation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index (RWJF Index) found that Americans’ confidence in their health insurance coverage and access to health care rose slightly in June. The RWJF Index rose 3.6 points last month to 102.3, up from the May confidence level of 98.7.

The RWJF Index is created from data collected by the Surveys of Consumers, a monthly survey of approximately 500 households conducted by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan. The survey evaluates consumer confidence along a spectrum of economic issues including American health care. Analysis of the data is provided by the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC).

The June survey also found that minorities and individuals with lower incomes report a lower confidence level in health care. White, non-Hispanic respondents had a confidence level of 105.9, while non-white respondents had an overall confidence level of 86.9. People with incomes in the bottom third of those surveyed had a confidence level of 87.5, compared to a confidence level of 118.0 for those in the top third of incomes.

“Over the last few months, Americans have seen more agreement in Washington than ever before on the need for a comprehensive solution to health care and are feeling optimistic,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Against this back drop of optimism, we saw the RWJF Index rise last month. Unfortunately the rise in confidence is not being felt equally by all Americans. This gap in confidence underscores the need for our leaders to enact health care reform that ensures that everyone has stable, affordable health coverage that they are confident in.”

The RWJF Index ranges from 0 to 200. Baseline was established at 100 in spring 2009. June highlights show:

• Americans believe health reform is an important part of addressing the nation’s economic crisis. More than 8 in 10 people (84.7%) believe that it is important for President Obama to reform the health care system as a step in solving the nation’s economic woes.
• People are worried about being able to afford future care. More than four in 10 of all Americans (43.3%) are worried that they will not be able to pay for their future health care needs in the event of a serious illness. Additionally, nearly four in 10 (39.8%) are worried that they will not be able to afford all of the routine health care services they need (39.8%).
• Americans are afraid of losing their insurance in the coming year. Nearly one in four currently insured adults (23.3%) fear losing their health insurance at some point in the next 12 months.
• Americans are having trouble paying their medical bills. One in four people (25.8%) report having had trouble paying medical bills during the past year.
• People are worried that medical bills will lead to bankruptcy. Nearly a quarter (22.9%) report being worried that they will go bankrupt from not being able to pay their medical bills.

“With the economy continuing to struggle, people are still feeling uneasy about their ability to pay for future and current health care needs,” said Lavizzo-Mourey. “It is clear that unless health care reform is enacted, many Americans will continue to worry about how they and the economy will survive.”

The RWJF Index is comprised of two sub-indices compiled by SHADAC. The Recent Health Cost Barriers Index gauges consumers’ recent experiences accessing health care because of cost concerns and rose from 100.0 in May to 101.3 in June. The Future Health Cost Concerns Index measures consumers’ worries about accessing health care or health insurance in the future because of cost and also rose 5.9 points in June to 103.3.

The survey data for the indices are collected from questions added to the Surveys of Consumers written to construct the RWJF Index. The survey items measure access to health care, health insurance and future concerns regarding health care. For over 50 years, the Surveys of Consumers data has been an accurate indicator for understanding and forecasting changes in the national economy. The survey’s Index of Consumer Expectations is an official component of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s Index of Leading Economic Indicators.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index is released the third Tuesday of every month. More information about the survey and the latest results are available at www.rwjf.org/confidence.