The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index (RWJF Index) found that Americans’ confidence in their health insurance coverage and ability to access health care increased sharply in October, amidst signs of economic recovery and increased congressional momentum on health reform. The RWJF Index rose to 104.4 points, up from 96.6 in September.

Fueling the uptick was a significant rise in Americans’ confidence in the future of their health care. The Future Health Cost Concerns Index—which measures consumer confidence about accessing health care or health insurance in the future because of cost—rose nearly 14 points from 91.2 in September to 105.0 in October. This is the largest increase in the Future Health Cost Concerns Index since the survey began. The Index is one of two indices that make up the RWJF Index.

Other highlights:

• More than seven in 10 Americans (71.9%) believe that if health reform is enacted, their access to care will improve or stay the same.
• In October, 20.6 percent of Americans reported having trouble paying their health care bills, compared to 23.1 percent in September.
• In October, 9.4 percent of people reported being worried that they will lose their employer-sponsored insurance coverage because their employer will stop providing the benefit, down from 15.5 percent in September.
• Nearly eight in 10 Americans (79.2%) believe it is important that President Obama includes health reform in plans to address the economy.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index (RWJF Index) is a monthly survey that evaluates consumer confidence in American health care. The RWJF index is created by the University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) using data collected as part of the Surveys of Consumers, conducted by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.