Poll Puts Health Care Reform, HMOs Atop Congress’ To-Do List
WASHINGTON — About three-quarters of Americans believe that health care reform should be a top priority for Congress, and many support new rules on how health maintenance organizations deal with patients, according to a Time/CNN poll released Sunday.
In a survey to appear in Time magazine today, 76% of respondents cited health care as a top priority for Congress, surpassed only by education reform and legislation to strengthen Social Security.
When asked about specific reforms for HMOs, 79% said the government should regulate HMOs so patients could select a doctor rather than having one assigned. And 72% said HMOs should be required to pay for emergency medical care even if the patient did not get an OK in advance.
Also, 70% supported legislation to require HMOs to pay for treatment by specialists recommended by a primary care doctor. And 70% said patients should be able to appeal HMO decisions denying care.
The poll, conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, interviewed 1,024 Americans and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
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