Sufferer Attitudes about Health Care Are Changing , Gradually but Steadily

A decade ago, while I was working for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, we got funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to conduct a national study to explore the significant beliefs that anchor how clients view the health system. We performed 16 two-hour focus groups in San Diego, Chicago, Teaneck, N.J., and Columbia, Tenn., recruiting in a cross section of America ranging in age, health status, income, ethnicity, insurance status and political leanings.

The 7 core beliefs the health system is as follow:

1. I believe medicine is too complicated for me to understand and prefer that my physician to tell me what to do.


2. I believe good medical care is about getting access to a doctor when I require him/her.


3. I believe health care is better for some than for others.


4. I believe health care should be present for all, but not under government control.


5. I believe health prices are high, but there is not much I can do.


6. I believe the profit incentive in the health system is powerful and care is compromised.


7. There is not much I can do.

The report concluded: “Consumer attitudes depict personal experiences with the system, primarily interactions with doctors, hospitals and insurance companies. Hence, the context for understanding health care consumerism is [found in] the deep-seeded beliefs about the health network, not attitudes about particular issues, concepts, ideas, organizations or policies. Beliefs don’t change easily: When they do, the change is transformative. The belief system of health care consumers is largely personalized, constructed from personal experiences and powerful emotions. For the vast majority, these experiences are negative, and specifically for those in minority and uninsured groups.”