Although physicians, employers and consumers tend to agree on which groups to blame for problems in the healthcare system, they disagree on the extent of responsibility these groups hold, according to a Leavitt Partners survey.
The survey gathered data from 621 physicians, 538 employers and 5,031 consumers. To ensure the survey accurately represented U.S. demographics, the authors set quotas for gender, race, age, education, income and geography. They also set quotas to ensure the survey represented different types of physicians and health benefit decision-makers from all sectors, industries and sizes of organizations.
Here are four things to know about the survey.
1. All three groups placed the most responsibility on insurance companies and the government. The majority of physicians — 52 percent —blame insurance companies for the U.S. healthcare system's problems, compared to 31 percent of employers and 28 percent of consumers.
2. Nearly half — 47 percent — of consumers blamed the government for the healthcare system's problems, compared to 32 percent of employers and 31 percent of physicians.
3. A significantly smaller percentage of these three groups blame hospitals (3-6 percent), physicians (1-6 percent), or patients (3-4 percent) for the healthcare system's problems.
4. "Because respondents put little blame on themselves, it appears they see healthcare problems as beyond their control," the authors wrote. "There is also likely significant variation in how different survey respondents define problems; some may see them as problems of finance, regulation, or delivery of care."