Harris Poll Finds Public Supports Increased Access to HME

Americans want the federal government to improve access to HME and invest in home and community based care. And given a number of choices for how to reduce Medicare spending, cutting homecare was their least favored alternative.

These are the results of a survey conducted last week of more than 2,000 adults in the U.S., conducted by Harris Interactive for AAHomecare. The survey was made possible by the Stand Up for Homecare Campaign.

Survey questions included:
“Where should the U.S. government invest the most money to improve health care and cost-effective delivery of care?”

• Community health clinics (37 percent);
• Patients’ homes (24 percent);
• Hospitals (23 percent); and
• Doctors’ offices (15 percent).

Given four choices for ways the government might cut Medicare spending to help reduce the budget deficit, respondents selected:

• Raising the premiums high income Medicare recipients have to pay (59 percent);
• Raising the age people start receiving Medicare benefits (24 percent);
• Cutting Medicare spending on home medical equipment such as oxygen, wheelchairs, and other equipment and services in their homes (9 percent); and
• Raising the premiums all Medicare recipients have to pay (9 percent).

Asked whether the federal government should “strengthen access to home medical equipment and services” given its potential to reduce hospital length of stay and healthcare costs, respondents replied:

• Agree (79 percent);
• Disagree (11 percent);
• Not Sure (9 percent).

We will be sharing these results with media and policymakers in Washington. Read the full data results.