March 2, 2007
Contact: Tony Wyche (314) 361-4774 or tonywyche@soapbox-pr.com

New MFH Poll Shows Shift in Missouri Voter Opinion: Health Care Now the Top Issue

Voters Concerned About Affordability of Coverage, Number of Uninsured

St. Louis -A new study of Missouri voters' attitudes about health care shows that the issue has moved to the top of their list of concerns, supplanting the economy. Additionally, voters are greatly concerned about providing affordable health care for themselves and their families, with eight-in-ten expressing concern. An even greater percentage expressed concern about the number of people in Missouri who are uninsured or underinsured.

The poll of 800 Missouri voters, commissioned by the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH), also found that solid majorities would like to see the state restore cuts made to the Medicaid system, even if it means raising taxes, and that the majority of voters would prefer to see the state budget surplus used to restore the Medicaid cuts rather than provide a tax cut or be set aside to avoid future budget shortfalls.

"As the state legislature debates how to revamp the state's Medicaid system and addresses other issues related to health care coverage, we wanted to learn about current attitudes and priorities held by Missouri voters," said Leslie Reed, MFH Vice President for Health Policy.

"Results of this poll reflect a significant shift in the Missouri public across party lines and across regions of the state. What we found was that there is a great deal of anxiety about the health care system and that across party lines people want the government to take action to cover the uninsured."

The poll, conducted by the bi-partisan partnership of Lake Research Partners and The Tarrance Group, surveyed voter attitudes about the overall health care system in Missouri and the Medicaid system, in specific, including how the state should prioritize various aspects of Medicaid coverage. The poll has a margin of error of +/-3.5%.

A memo from Lake Research Partners and The Tarrance Group detailing the findings of the poll can be found here (PDF file).

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Established in 2000, MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in the state. MFH is in its fifth year of grantmaking, having issued more than $200 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured, underinsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. For more information about MFH, visit www.mffh.org.

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