The RWJF Index: November 2009

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index (RWJF Index) found that Americans’ confidence in health care remained mostly consistent throughout 2009. After a sharp rise in confidence in October, the RWJF Index fell in November from 104.4 to 96.9 points—returning to a confidence level closer to those seen throughout most of 2009. Since the RWJF Index began in April 2009, confidence has averaged 99.2 points.

Over 2009, an average of one in four Americans each month (26.5%) worried that they would lose health care coverage and nearly half (48.3%) worried that they would not be able to afford future health care needs if they or a family member became seriously ill.

The RWJF Index is created from data collected by the Surveys of Consumers, with analysis provided by the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC). The survey evaluates consumer confidence along a spectrum of economic issues including American health care.

Other highlights:

• More than four in five Americans (81.7%) believed it was important that President Obama include health reform in plans to address the economy.
• More than two in five people (44.4%) reported being concerned about being able to afford routine care in the future.
• More than four in 10 Americans (41.1%) worried about being able to afford needed prescriptions in the future.
• More than a quarter of Americans (26.7%) were concerned that they would go bankrupt from medical bills.

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.