Voters Prioritize Insurance Company Accountability in Health Care Reform

Voters want reforms that curb insurer steering, increase transparency, and guarantee savings reach patients.

Key Takeaways

  • Voters prioritize insurance-focused reforms: curb steering, increase transparency, ensure savings reach patients.
  • Insurer and middleman accountability is the strongest performing center-right message.
  • Most voters believe insurer-provider integration raises prices and a plurality supports limits on insurer ownership.
  • Voters oppose penalizing patients for choosing lower-priced, independent providers.

Voters prioritize reforms targeting insurance companies — especially proposals that curb insurer steering, guarantee savings flow directly to patients, and increase upfront transparency on total and out-of-pocket costs. Reflecting these priorities, among four center-right positioning statements tested, the message emphasizing insurance company and middleman accountability performed best.

Most voters also believe vertical integration in health care — particularly insurer ownership of providers — raises patient costs.