Voters Favor Home Care in AAHomecare Poll

February 15, 2008

According to a recent poll commissioned by the American Association of Homecare, the majority of American voters (78 percent) say they would vote for congressional candidates who would strengthen Medicare coverage for power wheelchairs, oxygen devices, hospital beds and other DME and services used in the home. Three-quarters of voters believe home care is part of the solution to the problem of rapidly increasing Medicare spending.

"The Harris survey clearly illustrates that American voters favor stronger home care policies in Medicare and will vote for home care champions in Congress," says Tyler Wilson, AAHomecare president and CEO. "All we need to do is give our issues some visibility and make sure that home care is front and center in this critical campaign year."

The national telephone survey of 1,000 American adults conducted in December found that strong majorities of both Democrats (85 percent) and Republicans (71 percent) support home care-friendly candidates.

According to the survey:
•    Americans age 55 and older are more likely to favor candidates who support home care (83 percent), compared to the 18-to-54 age group (76 percent).
•    More than four out of five Americans (82 percent) express a preference for home care over institutional care, agreeing with the statement, "If I required medical services, I would prefer to receive it in my home if possible, rather than in a hospital or nursing home." Only 9 percent disagree with the statement and 9 percent are neutral.
•    Preference for home care is most common among Americans age 55 and older (91 percent). The strong preference for home care is consistent across all age group, gender and income segments.
•    Three out of four Americans (74 percent) agree with the statement, "home care is part of the solution to the problem of rapidly increasing Medicare spending for America's seniors." The result is consistent across political party lines and across liberal and conservative ranks. Americans age 55-plus are more likely to agree (81 percent).

The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, polled 1,000 Americans age 18 and older Dec. 14-17. For more detail and information on the survey method, see Newsroom at www.aahomecare.org.