Staying Fit
A recent AARP national survey of adults ages 50+ shows uneven satisfaction with health care in the U.S. and an interest in exploring how other countries approach aging issues.
While most older Americans believe the quality of health care in the U.S. is good, many are concerned about both equal access and high costs.
About half of respondents rate health care quality in the U.S. as good (36%) or very good (14%). Just 39% give accessibility positive marks, and only 16% say it is affordable.
Americans' views on the U.S. system overall are segmented, according to AARP. When considering quality, access, and cost together, 24% consider it to be poor, 30% view it as good, and 47% rate it as fair.
Older adults are curious about what works in other countries at an individual and a policy level. The survey reveals 82% think the U.S. could learn from other countries about health care best practices and solutions, and 45% are personally interested in learning from an international perspective about ways to approach healthy aging.
Men approve of the U.S. health care system more than women do. Meanwhile, Americans earning income under $30,000 a year are less satisfied than are those with higher incomes. People who had traveled abroad were more open to learning from other cultures about their health care.
In considering specific kinds of health services, Americans 50 and over give higher approval ratings (51%) to general treatment in the U.S. for chronic conditions than they do for dementia or Alzheimer's patient care, with only 38% feeling the U.S. outperforms other countries in that area.
Where the U.S. really falls short, older adults feel, is in equitable access to care and quality long-term care. AARP finds just about one-third (35%) of older adults think the U.S. does a better job of providing health care to citizens of all races or ethnic backgrounds and one-third (34%) say the U.S. has better access to prescription drugs.
While 39% say the U.S. is at least somewhat better than other countries in providing comprehensive care for older adults, just 35% believe the U.S. is better than other countries in providing long-term care options that are effective or affordable (32%).
Methodology
The findings come from an AARP Omni online survey of 1,014 adults ages 50-plus in November 2022. The national sample was weighted by age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
For more information, please contact Cheryl Lampkin at clampkin@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.