Americans give failing grade to healthcare quality, poll reveals deep doubts medical system

Opinions about the quality of the U.S. health care system have fallen to their lowest level in 24 years, according to the latest Gallup polling.

The company reported Friday that 44% of adults responding to a recent survey described the quality of health care as excellent (11%) or good (33%), down 10 percentage points since 2020 and from the previous low of 46% last year. Another 54% rated it as fair (38%) or poor (16%).

From 2001 to 2020, between 52% and 62% of adults viewed U.S. health care quality positively, making this year the worst in Gallup opinion surveys dating back to the start of George W. Bush’s presidency.

This year, 28% said their health coverage is excellent or good, four points lower than the average since 2001. That’s well below the high point of 41% in 2012 but slightly above the low of 21% in 2005.

“These views likely play into the belief that the U.S. health care system has major problems or is in a deep state of crisis,” Megan Brenan, a Gallup senior editor, wrote in a summary of the findings.

This year’s survey found 54% of adults saying the U.S. health care system has major problems and 16% declaring a “state of crisis,” which Ms. Brenan said is “in line with the trend average of 69%” dating back to 2001.

Just 25% of survey participants said the system has “minor problems” and 3% said it has no problems this year. Cost ranked as the top issue facing the system, with 23% of respondents flagging it.

At the same time, 71% of adults surveyed described the quality of the health care they receive as excellent or good, and 65% said the same of their own insurance coverage, reflecting little change in either category going back to 2001.

Another 58% reported satisfaction with their own costs, down from the 24-year high of 67% in 2020 but in line with the polling average.

Gallup conducted a randomized national telephone survey of 1,001 adults from Nov. 6-20. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.