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Heart + Mind Strategies recently polled Americans on a number of policy issues. (here) Health care was the most important issue to 46 percent of those contacted. The economy ranked second at 36 percent.
On further questioning, the majority of those polled believed that some of the temporary health care reforms caused by the COVID-19 pandemic should be made permanent. Specifically, 67 percent believed that Certificate of Need laws should be abolished and telemedicine should be expanded. Sixty four percent thought that health care professionals should be able to practice across state lines with any acceptable state license. Sixty nine percent believed that pharmacists should be able to practice to the full extent of their training. Almost half of those polled, 46 percent, thought that public health is poor or in crisis.
One caveat was that those contacted wanted more information on the reforms before they become permanent. In other words, the ideas seemed reasonable to Americans, but they wanted to understand the specific ramifications before the reforms were actually implemented.
There is plenty of research on these issues that shows their value to meaningful health care reform. (here) It is reassuring that the American public understands their value even if elected officials can’t make them permanent through legislation.
