Oregonians Are Feeling the Pressure of Sky High Health Care Prices
The greatest share of overall spending in our health care system can be attributed to the hospital sector, making up a majority of health care spending in the United States in 2022. OSPIRG partnered with Strategies 360 to undertake public opinion research and understand Oregonians attitudes and opinions about certain health care solutions – particularly as they relate to addressing hospital prices and increasing transparency.
- 94% of voters in Oregon have health insurance; however, 43% of the electorate is underinsured. This leaves nearly half of voters without adequate insurance coverage. 38% of Oregonians report that they have delayed or canceled medical treatments because the care was not covered by insurance, with 37% reporting this was due to high out of pocket cost.
- Nearly 2 in 5 Oregonians say our healthcare costs have gone up in the last twelve months. Healthcare costs have risen across the board, but particularly for those who are underinsured, who have an insurance source other than Medicare or our employer.
- 75% of Oregonian voters said that the cost of health care is a concern. This concern is felt most acutely among those aged 50-64, voters of color, and those with an income between $50K-$75K. This is an increase from 69% of voters who said the cost of health care was a concern in 2021.
- 32% of Oregonian voters would not be able to pay an unexpected medical bill, with another 44% stating they would need to borrow from our savings, our family, our friends, or a bank. These impacts are not limited to one group – at every income level, a majority of voters would struggle to pay a surprise bill.
Oregonians are suffering under the weight of a high cost health care system. Lawmakers have a clear mandate to address the deep concerns voters have about the cost of health care.
Nearly 1/3 of Oregonians report that prices charged by hospitals have the biggest impact on them.
- Oregonians cite co-pays, deductibles, and prices charged by hospitals as the health care related costs that have the biggest impact on them. These out of pocket costs disproportionately impact voters of color.
- 42% of Oregonians believe that the biggest cause of high health care costs are excessive prices charged by providers.
- A majority of Oregonian voters disagree that hospitals in the state of Oregon charge fair prices.
Oregonians are being priced out of the health care they need. Three quarters of Oregon voters expressed concern with the rising cost of health care – and a majority (58%) of Oregonians disagreed with the sentiment that hospitals charge fair prices. People across the state, regardless of geography, race and ethnicity, party affiliation, and source of coverage are ready for change. 73% of Oregonians believe that legislators should take action to reduce hospital prices, through:
- Adopting and enforcing state-level hospital price transparency requirements.
- Eliminating surprise billing for ground ambulance services.
- Prohibiting hospital facility fees for services performed outside the hospital, like at an outpatient clinic or doctor’s office.
- Preventing health care systems and hospitals from engaging in anti-competitive contracting practices.
This statewide public opinion survey was completed by Strategies 360, on behalf of OSPIRG. The survey is representative of voters in Oregon with a sample size of n = 500 and a margin of error of ∓4.4%.
About OSPIRG: OSPIRG is an advocate for the public interest. We speak out for the public and stand up to special interests on problems that affect the public’s health, safety and wellbeing. OSPIRG and our network of state organizations have a 50 year track record of bringing people together around solutions that work, and not stopping until we get real results.