NatioNal HealtHcare Survey for TEDMED:KEY FINDINGS

as you know, TEDMED provides a venue for thinkers to discuss and understand how medicine

and healthcare intersect with the rest of our culture. and of course, it does so this year while

possibly historic efforts are underway to reform the united States healthcare system. to bring

consumers’ voices into the discussion, TEDMED President Marc Hodosh and founder &

chairman emeritus richard Saul Wurman enlisted the analysts at Penn, Schoen & Berland

associates (PSB) to survey the american public’s views on the most important healthcare

issues of today and tomorrow. from September 17-18, 2009 we interviewed 1005 consumers

online about their perspectives on current and emergent issues in healthcare ranging from the

reform efforts then underway to cost concerns, bioethics, pandemics and vaccinations. We

think the results will interest and surprise you.

SincErEly,MarK PENN, wIllIaM MaNN, JoNathaN KaY, aND thE PSB hEalthcarE GrouP

Dear TEDMED ParticiPaNt:

hEalThcarE rEforM

SaY that It IS MorE IMPortaNt thaN EvEr to taKE oN hEalthcarE rEForM rIGht Now. 56%

If the PresIdent and Congress deCIde to reform the Current healthCare system, whICh of the followIng would you say Is the most ImPortant goal?

49% are at least somewhat ConCerned about losIng theIr healthCare Coverage In the next 12 months; 21% are very ConCerned.

45% thInk that healthCare reform, as ProPosed, wIll raIse theIr healthCare Costs at least somewhat, and 19% thInk theIr Costs wIll go uP sIgnIfICantly.

Providing all americans with affordable healthcare choices 4840112

Improving the safety and quality of healthcareMaking healthcare and health insurance more affordable

Don’t know

base

hEalThcarE coSTS

oF coNSuMErS BElIEvE that INSuraNcE coMPaNY ProFItS arE thE PrIMarY DrIvEr oF hEalthcarE coSt INFlatIoN.

whICh of the followIng faCtors do you thInk Is the most sIgnIfICant drIver of healthCare Cost InflatIon?

81% are at least somewhat ConCerned about beIng denIed aCCess to effeCtIve drugs and treatments for Cost reasons (eIther by theIr InsuranCe ComPany or by the government).

51% thInk that doCtors are PaId too muCh under the Current system.

Insurance company profits

administrative costs

35

7

17

7

11

7

9

5

Pharmaceutical costs

Don’t know

Malpractice lawsuits

advances in medicine (for example, new procedures, screenings, treatments, and drugs)

Salary growth for medical professionals

aging population

base

35%

MoDErnizaTion ofMEDical rEcorDS

SuPPort MoDErNIzING thE rEcorD-KEEPING SYStEM uSED BY thE hEalthcarE SYStEM.76%

if SuPPort MoDerNiZiNG MeDical recorDS: whICh of the followIng Is Closest to your vIew?

Private industry should be entirely responsible for the costs of medical record- keeping modernization 443916Don’t know

the federal government should pay for all or part of the costs to modernize medical record-keeping

base

BElIEvE that MaKING GENErIc DruGS MorE avaIlaBlE IS aN IMPortaNt Part oF thE SolutIoN to rISING DruG coStS. 91%

would you agree or dIsagree wIth the statement that amerICans are overmedICated In ComParIson to CItIzens of other IndustrIalIzed natIons?

57% say that there Is too muCh advertIsIng on televIsIon, and that It’s not aPProPrIate.

46% say that drug ImPortatIon laws should be relaxed.

Strongly agree 32481137

Somewhat DisagreeSomewhat agree

Strongly DisagreeDon’t know

basePharMacEuTicalS &PharMacEuTical aDvErTiSing

fuTurE MEDicinE

BElIEvE that MaJor MEDIcal BrEaKthrouGhS arE oN thE horIzoN—aND thEY’rE aNxIouS aBout thEM. PEoPlE

56% belIeve that sCIentIsts somewhere In the world wIll Clone a human In theIr lIfetIme.

38% are oPPosed to medICal testIng on anImals, but of those, 32% waver If the exPerIments In questIon lead dIreCtly to lIfe-savIng methods for human PatIents.

68% vIew laboratory-grown human organs as a medICal breakthrough they would suPPort.

57% say they would not trust a robot to Perform a routIne surgery on them.

Diy DocTorS &alTErnaTivE MEDicinE

arE turNING to Both NEw aND traDItIoNal altErNatIvES to DoctorS. aMEricanS

whICh of the followIng statements Is Closest to your vIew?

western medicine works best when complemented by practices drawn from other medical traditions, such as acupuncture 45

2134Don’t know

western medicine works best on its own without other elements included

base

62% of resPondents say they vIsIt onlIne medICal websItes suCh as webmd to self-dIagnose a medICal Problem.

37% say they’ve suggested a CertaIn dIagnosIs or PresCrIPtIon to theIr doCtor based on researCh they’ve ConduCted onlIne.

72% thInk that health InsuranCe ComPanIes should Cover the Cost of non-tradItIonal or alternatIve medICInes.

67% suPPort the legalIzatIon of medICInal marIjuana.

aging in aMErica

BElIEvE that DurING thEIr lIFEtIME It IS lIKElY that SIGNIFIcaNt aDvaNcES wIll BE MaDE IN thE avEraGE huMaN lIFESPaN.78%

62% thInk It should be legal for PeoPle who are sufferIng from InCurable ChronIC dIseases to Choose to end theIr lIves wIth the assIstanCe of a PhysICIan.

but 46% have never dIsCussed wIth theIr famIly whether they’d lIke to be kePt alIve through medICal means If, at some PoInt In the future, they are termInally Ill and InCaPaCItated.

PErSonal choicE & hEalThcarE iMPacTS

thINK INDIvIDualS ShoulD BE allowED to MaKE choIcES aBout thEIr owN BEhavIor wIthout GovErNMENt INtruSIoN, EvEN whEN thoSE choIcES IMPoSE larGE coStS oN thE hEalthcarE SYStEM. rESPonDEnTS

whICh smokIng PolICy oPtIon do you Prefer?

whICh obesIty PolICy oPtIon do you Prefer?

Government action to curb smoking.

Government action to curb obesity.

45

47

47

43

7

10

Don’t know

Don’t know

No government action to curb smoking.

No government action to curb obesity.

before

before

we asked respondents to say whether they prefer the government to take action or not on two behavior-related issues that create healthcare costs—smoking and obesity. then we showed the estimated direct costs each issue imposes on the healthcare system (as determined by the Centers for disease Control)—$96 billion and $147 billion, respectively. after displaying these costs, we again asked whether respondents preferred government action or inaction—but opinions barely shifted.

SEE FIctIoNal DoctorS DEPIctED PoSItIvElY, But INaccuratElY—aND thEY’rE Not SurE that cElEBrItY DoctorS arE truStworthY, EIthEr.

79% thInk that doCtors, hosPItals and medICIne are generally dePICted In at least a somewhat PosItIve lIght.

52% of resPondents thInk that doCtors, hosPItals, and medICIne are generally dePICted InaCCurately In movIes and televIsIon shows.

36% thInk that CelebrIty doCtors on televIsIon (suCh as dr. sanjay guPta or dr. oz) are trustworthy medICal advIsers.

MaSS MEDia &PErcEPTionS

conSuMErS

PanDEMicS &vaccinaTionS

MINorItY oF aMErIcaNS rEMaIN SKEPtIcal aBout thE BENEFItS oF vaccINES.a SizablE

whICh of the followIng Is Closest to your vIew?

6913

18

Don’t know

vaccines are risky and generally do more harm than goodvaccines are low risk and generally do more good than harm

base

58% thInk that the government should mandate vaCCInatIon when PossIble In order to Combat the sPread of dIsease.

but If the government dId mandate vaCCInatIons, only 76% would be at least somewhat lIkely to ComPly.

desPIte wIdesPread ConCern about swIne flu, only 46% of resPondents Plan to get a flu vaCCIne thIs year.

29% belIeve (at least somewhat) that ChIldhood vaCCInes are a ContrIbutIng Cause to autIsm, though the CdC has found no lInks between the two.

Penn, Schoen & Berland associates (PSB) conducted 1,005 internet interviews with the uS general

population aged 18 and over from September 17-18, 2009. overall, the margin of error is +/- 3.1%. METhoDology

PSB conducts research into consumer and business attitudes towards healthcare and other issues

for some of the world’s leading corporations. for more information about how PSB can provide

you with Winning Knowledge™, please visit www.psbresearch.com or contact Beth lester at

blester@ps-b.com or (202) 962-3042.

cloSing