Jan 15, 2019

Americans tend to blame the other side on health care

Sam Baker

Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Most Americans think the U.S. health care system is pretty bad — but which Americans hold that view seems to depend on who’s in the White House.

By the numbers: 70% of Americans say the health care system has serious problems or is in a "state of crisis," according to a new Gallup poll, while just 30% say it’s not so bad.

Those numbers have roughly held steady since 2001.
But there are big partisan shifts over that period. During the George W. Bush administration, more Democrats said the system was in crisis. Under Barack Obama, Republicans were the ones panicking.
Now, they’ve switched again — Republicans’ dissatisfaction is waning and Democrats’ is growing.

Reality check: The U.S. has had worse health outcomes than other industrialized countries, and has paid more for those outcomes, this whole time.

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Americans tend to blame the other side on health care

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