Instant Life Insurance Quotes News: Most Americans Have Health Insurance And Happy With It

The statement

“When we started this health care debate a year ago, 85 percent of the American people had health insurance, and 95 percent of the 85 percent were happy with it.”

George Will, columnist, Feb. 21 on ABC’s This Week

The ruling

First, we’ll dispatch with Will’s claim that 85 percent of Americans had health insurance. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 255.1 million Americans had health insurance in 2008, while 46.3 million did not. That’s 84.6 percent, or rounding up, 85 percent – just as Will said.

Now, for the polling data.

We found eight surveys taken in 2008 and 2009 that asked Americans whether they were satisfied with their health coverage. To determine whether respondents were “happy” – as Will phrased it – we lumped together percentages for “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied” and, where applicable, “extremely satisfied.”

Here’s what we found:

* Quinnipiac University, Sept. 2009. 54 percent very satisfied, 34 percent somewhat. Total: 88 percent satisfaction.

* Quinnipiac University, June 2009. 49 percent very satisfied, 36 somewhat satisfied. Total: 85 percent satisfaction.

* ABC News/Washington Post, June 2009. 42 percent very satisfied, 39 percent somewhat satisfied. Total: 81 percent satisfaction.

* Mathew Greenwald & Associates for the Employee Benefit Research Institute, May 2009. 21 percent extremely satisfied, 37 percent very satisfied, 30 percent somewhat satisfied. Total: 88 percent satisfaction.

* ABC News/Washington Post, June 2009. 42 percent very satisfied, 39 percent somewhat satisfied. Total: 81 percent satisfaction.

* Mathew Greenwald & Associates for the Employee Benefit Research Institute, Aug. 2008. 31 percent extremely satisfied, 41 percent very satisfied, 23 somewhat satisfied. Total: 95 percent satisfaction.

* Mathew Greenwald & Associates for the Employee Benefit Research Institute, Aug. 2008. 23 percent extremely satisfied, 38 percent very satisfied, 30 percent somewhat satisfied. Total: 91 percent satisfaction.

* Mathew Greenwald & Associates for the Employee Benefit Research Institute, May 2008. 17 percent extremely satisfied, 36 percent very satisfied, 33 percent somewhat satisfied. Total: 86 percent satisfaction.

If you average these scores, the total rate of satisfaction is 87 percent. In all but one poll, the satisfaction level was below Will’s stated level of 95 percent.

Even though Will modestly overstates the number, we rate his comment Mostly True.

Louis Jacobson, Times staff writer

Source: LexisNexis

More Power To Us,

Erwin Chua

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