Dec 19, 2023 - Health

Americans less satisfied with almost every part of the health system

Data: Gallup; Note: 2010 wording was walk-in clinics. 2023 results are average of walk-in clinics and urgent care clinics.; Chart: Axios Visuals

Americans' satisfaction with almost every major part of the health care system has dropped since 2010, according to a new Gallup analysis.

Driving the news: Drugmakers took the biggest reputational hit, and ratings for physicians fell sharply, too.

The big picture: COVID-19, ballooning costs, an opioid crisis and other factors could contribute to Americans' souring sentiment, Gallup says.

  • The findings also suggest that the goodwill Americans felt toward doctors at the start of the pandemic has all but disappeared.

Of note: Americans are happiest with the care they received from nurses, with 82% rating the care as excellent or good — down 6 percentage points from 2010.

  • 69% said the same about physicians this year, down from 84% percent in 2010.
  • Americans were least satisfied with nursing home care. Just 25% rated nursing homes as excellent or good, while 37% rated them as poor.

The intrigue: Views about the quality of health care had generally improved or stayed the same between 2003 and 2010, the last two times Gallup asked Americans to rate providers.

Go deeper: Nursing shortages show no signs of slowing, survey finds

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