Rising health care costs are a major driver of Americans' increasing dissatisfaction with the health care system, according to the 2006 Health Confidence Survey, published Oct. 25, 2006 by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The Commonwealth Fund was a co-funder of the survey, which also found that Americans believe that steps should be taken to slow health care cost increases. Half of adults are "not too" or "not at all" satisfied with their health care costs, up from one-third in 2005. One-third of Americans who had experienced rising costs reported that they reduced their savings for retirement as a result and one-quarter had difficulty paying for basic necessities. Six in 10 survey participants rated the health care system as "fair" or "poor;" the percentage of people rating the system as "poor" has doubled since the inception of the annual Health Confidence Survey in 1998.
R. Helman and P. Fronstin, 2006 Health Confidence Survey: Dissatisfaction With Health Care System Doubles Since 1998, EBRI Notes, November 2006, 27(11)