BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than half of physicians in a survey conducted earlier this month disagree that the repeal of the individual mandate is good for patients, while nearly all doctors (97%) said that their biggest concern for patients with the repeal is the rising cost of healthcare.
InCrowd, a pioneer of real-time market intelligence to healthcare and life science firms, annually conducts physicians’ predictions research—with 203 physicians participating in November of 2017. The top healthcare issues—noted as most or highly important—in 2018 were:
- Affordability of care, 87% of doctors’ top concern—compared to 59% last year.
- Wider access to therapies, 62% see as the top issue—compared to 40% last year.
After Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December, repealing the individual mandate, InCrowd conducted follow-up research with 201 physicians.
The post-tax act survey asked physicians about Medicare and Medicaid, impacts on their practice and patients, and the overall effectiveness of the individual mandate.
Other key physician findings from the post-tax act survey include:
- 76% believe there will be cuts to Medicaid and 69% said Medicare would be cut; 55% said the repeal would increase the cost of health insurance.
- 69% said the individual mandate has increased insurance coverage over the past four years, compared to 22% who said it has lowered overall costs.
- 57% said consumers should be required to carry health insurance coverage.
- 20% said the repeal was good for patients.
“Year over year, physicians indicate that affordability and access to care are among their top concerns,” said Diane Hayes, President and Co-Founder of InCrowd. “With these issues ranking significantly higher than in years past, physicians appear as uncertain as many Americans when thinking about availability of affordable healthcare. The latest repeal of the individual mandate for health coverage is a critical example of how the changing landscape impacts physicians and their patients.”
About InCrowd
InCrowd pioneered a real-time, mobile, MicroSurvey solution, delivering top US life science firms agile, primary market research. InCrowd has access to a 1.8 million “Crowd” of healthcare professionals worldwide, reached in 20 languages. Serving more than 200 brands, InCrowd expedites market research, helping clients get to market faster.
