Our parent company, the Europ Assistance Group, shared this week the results of its 4th annual survey on the perception of healthcare across 7 different countries – with the US included for the first time. Given recent developments around healthcare reform in the US, this survey is interesting in that it compares how Americans see healthcare compared to Europeans.
The overall takeaway from the survey is that Americans and Europeans alike have more confidence in the quality of their healthcare systems than in how they are organized. Both groups are also overwhelmingly in favor of combined private and public funding to improve care of the elderly.
Americans specifically appear to be less satisfied than most Europeans with the organization of our healthcare system. However, we’re more confident in the quality of care and in our physicians’ professionalism. Fewer than half of Americans (44%) approve of the way the US healthcare system is organized, compared to countries such as France and Austria, where respectively 61% and 86% of the respondents have a positive opinion of their own healthcare systems. This may be due to the perception that there is more inequality in access to healthcare in the United States (66% have a negative opinion) than in France (49% have a negative opinion) or in Great Britain (40%).
Baromètre Cercle Santé 2010 Europ Assistance
At the same time, Americans are more worried than Europeans about healthcare costs: 75% of Americans declare to be worried about increases in the price of medical procedures in the future, compared to 51% in France.
Baromètre Cercle Santé 2010 Europ Assistance
However, Americans have more confidence than Europeans in their doctors’ competence. 60% have an excellent or very good opinion compared to 44% in France and 24% in Italy.
Americans think more highly than Europeans of the training their physicians receive, with the highest scores for university studies and ongoing training (72% and 67% respectively have a positive opinion).
The study was conducted by CSA Market Research and Opinion Poll in association with the Cercle Santé Société with the purpose to assess healthcare practices, expectations and concerns of the citizens of seven European countries (Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Sweden, Poland, Austria) and the US and to measure and monitor public opinion on the major healthcare issues. This study was conducted between June 1st and July 9th, 2010 on a sample of 3,600 individuals aged 18 and above in the eight countries previously mentioned.
Download an executive summary of the study results or get more information on the 4th edition of the “Cercle Santé – Europ Assistance” surveyon how Europeans and Americans perceive their respective healthcare systems.
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