Gallup recently released results from its annual Health and Healthcare Poll, which are based on telephone interviews conducted November 6-20, 2024 with a random sample of 1,001 adults living in the US. The new data show that support for the US adopting a government-run healthcare system is growing.

According to Gallup (Jeffrey M. Jones, “More in U.S. See Health Coverage as Government Responsibility,” Gallup, Dec. 9, 2024):

“Americans divide about evenly on this question, with 46% saying the U.S. should have a government-run healthcare system, while 49% are in favor of a system based mostly on private health insurance. Only in a 2017 survey were Americans as closely divided as they are today. In most years, majorities — as high as 61% — favored a system based on private insurance.”

The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

Gallup also found that a majority of adults support the Affordable Care Act:

“Fifty-four percent of U.S. adults approve of the ACA, essentially tying the record-high 55% readings in April 2017 (during Republican-led attempts to repeal the law) and November 2020 (after Joe Biden won election as president). Approval has generally been 50% or above since Obama left office in 2017, but the law was far less popular during his tenure, ranging from 37% to 48% approval.”

The survey found that while people are generally pleased with their own health care and health coverage, a large number feel that the US health system has major problems. According to Gallup (Megan Brenan, “View of U.S. Healthcare Quality Declines to 24-Year Low,” Gallup, Dec. 6, 2024):

“The current 44% of U.S. adults who say the quality of healthcare is excellent (11%) or good (33%) is down by a total of 10 percentage points since 2020 after steadily eroding each year. Between 2001 and 2020, majorities ranging from 52% to 62% rated U.S. healthcare quality positively; now, 54% say it is only fair (38%) or poor (16%).

“As has been the case throughout the 24-year trend, Americans rate healthcare coverage in the U.S. even more negatively than they rate quality. Just 28% say coverage is excellent or good, four points lower than the average since 2001 and well below the 41% high point in 2012.”

Yet also according to Gallup:

“In contrast to their largely negative assessments of the quality and coverage of healthcare in the U.S., broad majorities of Americans continue to rate their own healthcare’s quality and coverage positively. Currently, 71% of U.S. adults consider the quality of healthcare they receive to be excellent or good, and 65% say the same of their own coverage. There has been little deviation in these readings since 2001.”

This contradiction also extends to feelings regarding healthcare costs. On one hand, according to Gallup:

“In addition to registering subpar ratings of the quality and coverage of healthcare in the U.S., few Americans — 19% — say they are satisfied with its cost. This reading is unchanged from last year and toward the low end for the measure, which has averaged 22% since 2001. The high point in satisfaction was 30% in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This spike was largely due to an increase in satisfaction among Republicans.”

And yet, Gallup also notes:

“Americans are also much more likely to express satisfaction with what they pay for healthcare than with the total cost of care in the U.S. Fifty-eight percent are now satisfied with their own costs, down from the high point of 67% in 2020 but in line with the trend average.”

World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other OECD member nations.

Page last updated December 9, 2024 by Doug McVay, Editor.