Georgia voters across party lines agree healthcare costs are too high

A new statewide poll shows that Georgia voters on both sides of the aisle agree healthcare costs are too high, and the system requires changes.

The poll was conducted by the University of Georgia’s Survey Research Center and found that more than three in five voters said health care is unaffordable.

One in three skipped or delayed care in the past year because of cost.

Teri Anulewicz is the vice president of government affairs for the consulting firm Capital City Public Affairs and a former state representative who served on the House Public Health Committee. She said the findings should be a wakeup call for politicians.

“Healthcare costs are a massive concern, and when you’re looking outside of the metro areas, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, you’ve got a large part of this state where people don’t feel like they can access the care that they need,” Anulewicz said.

Here are some key findings:

• 86% of voters say increasing access to behavioral health care should be a priority.
• 81% say the same for maternal health access and ensuring everyone has health insurance.
• Eight in 10 voters say the quality of care depends on the type of insurance you have and where you live.
• 62% said health care costs too much.
• 37% skipped or delayed care in the past year.

Trey Hood is a professor of political science and director of the Survey Research Center at the University of Georgia. He said the most striking finding was the amount of agreement between Republicans and Democrats.

“Three out of five likely voters in the state indicated that healthcare is not at all affordable or not very affordable. This would include half of Republicans, three-quarters of Democrats, and seven out of 10 independents,” Hood said.

The Georgia Health Commission commissioned the poll and said the findings are being shared with policymakers, candidates and the public.