United States of Care Releases Guide to Help Humanize the Health Care Debate and COVID-19 Response 

May 28, 2020 at 10:22 am by pj



 

United States of Care (USofCare) released a new guide today to help policymakers, advocates, and other key stakeholders humanize the health care debate and COVID-19 response. USofCare has undertaken an ongoing listening project to better understand people’s shared needs in response to COVID-19, combining public opinion analysis, survey research, and in-depth interviews throughout the country. Our new guide summarizes what we learned, advice on connecting with the public, as well as how to prioritize solutions. 

 

We’ve consistently found that centering the conversation around shared needs and values opens new avenues for more people to be part of the conversation and the solution. In our discussions and several of our survey’s open-ended questions, responses were similar across a variety of demographics (Republican and Democrat, rural and urban, African American and white), including raw, sometimes heartbreaking, emotions as they describe their concerns. Our findings show many people share common experiences, even if we each have unique circumstances and different political viewpoints. 

 

“Health care policy has historically been polarized and politicized. Our review of public opinion is that the country is quickly retreating to partisan corners. By elevating people’s shared values, we hope to humanize the health care debate. If we aren't meeting people where they are, we will miss the moment to pave a path toward lasting positive change,” said Natalie Davis, Co-Founder and Senior Director for Public Engagement. “Throughout our research, we encountered people expressing waves of emotions - including significant levels of anxiety, uncertainty, frustration, hope, and gratitude - with deep concern about the health and financial well-being of themselves and their loved ones. While immediate fixes are needed, COVID-19 has also illuminated the public’s desire for long-term fixes, including a more reliable health care system that cares for everyone and supports essential workers. ”

 

Our most recent survey confirmed our focus on four critical shared needs that are emerging in response to the pandemic, including the desire for:

 

 

We’ve already started putting these findings into action through the policy priorities we’ve recommended to federal and state policymakers. 

 

Lead with values and emotion

 

People everywhere are concerned about protecting and providing for themselves and their loved ones. This unprecedented moment provides policymakers with the unique opportunity to ensure that our health care system is responsive to the pandemic while being accessible and affordable, now and into the future. Our findings show that centering the conversation around shared needs will open new avenues for more people to participate in the health care debate and the design of new solutions.

 

State and federal officials should show how they are listening to the public by proposing durable, people-centered policy solutions. These solutions should address not only the short-term challenges but also be designed to remove the long-standing barriers in our current health care system. People need to feel heard and that the health care system is there to support them. To be successful, policymakers must:

 

Public Opinion Key Findings: 

 

 

In early March, we began conducting comprehensive assessments of available public opinion surveys from a variety of pollsters, including Kaiser Family Foundation, Gallup, Pew, and others. We also conducted in-depth interviews with members of the public between April 3, 2020, and May 1, 2020. Our national survey was conducted May 1-3, 2020, and carried a confidence interval of 90%, with a margin of error between 2-4%. It included a sample size of 2,156 respondents. It has a margin of error between 2-4%. 

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