With the 113th Congress up and running and the president’s policy schedule filling up by the day, a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health identified five things Americans would like the government to set as top health care priorities this year:
1. State exchanges. Fifty-five percent of respondents say state-based health insurance exchanges are a top priority for their lawmakers. With only
2. PPACA opposition. Fifty-two percent, including 78% of Republicans, say the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act opponents in Congress should continue trying to overturn the law. When asked why, a majority of respondents cited overturning the law for “less impact on taxpayers, employers and health care providers.”
3. PPACA complacency. Forty percent think that PPACA opponents in Congress should “accept that it is now the
4. Premiums. Increasing state regulation of health insurance premiums should be a priority for lawmakers, 37% of respondents say.
5. Women’s health care. One-fifth of respondents believe lawmakers should limit women’s family planning, reproductive health and other services. A timely topic as