Eighty-one Percent of U.S. Adults say that Birth Control Pills and Procedures Should Be Covered by Health Insurance
Support for Medical Use Approval and Insurance Coverage Varies Greatly for Different Medical Treatments
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - April 30, 2007-- Most U.S. adults support
approving the use of medical treatments and procedures that can
impact people's quality of life, including birth control
treatments, in-vitro fertilization, drugs to treat erectile
dysfunction and improve memory and to help with weight loss. Large
majorities also believe these types of treatments should be covered
by health insurance. Support for approval and coverage diminishes
for treatments that primarily impact people's personal appearance,
such as drugs to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, plastic surgery
to help people look younger and growth hormones to help children
grow taller.
These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,402 U.S.
adults, ages 18 and older, conducted by Harris Interactive(r)
between March 20 and 22, 2007 for The Wall Street Journal Online's
Health Industry Edition (www.wsj.com/health).
Approval for Medical Use
Strong majorities support the approval of medical treatments such as birth-control pills and other birth-control procedures (88%), drugs that improve memory (77%) and in-vitro fertilization (76%) if they are generally safe and effective. Men are more likely than women to believe that treatments impacting people's personal appearance, such as drugs that help with weight loss (68% vs. 67%, respectively) or plastic surgery (52% vs. 46%) should be approved.
What Should Insurance Cover?
Eight in ten (81%) adults believe that birth-control pills and other birth-control procedures should be covered by health insurance, at least in some part and two-thirds (63%) support coverage for in-vitro fertilization. Women are more likely than men to feel that birth-control treatments (88% vs. 72%) and in-vitro fertilization (69% vs. 59%) should be covered by health insurance. More than two-thirds of all adults think insurance should cover drugs that improve memory (65%), while three in five (59%) support coverage for weight-loss drugs and half (50%) support coverage for drugs to treat erectile or other sexual dysfunction. Only one in five adults (21%) believes that drugs to help keep you awake should be covered by insurance and 13 percent support insurance coverage for drugs to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Please see the attachment for the accompanying tables.
Methodology
Harris Interactive(r) conducted this online survey within the United States between April 4 and 6, 2007 among a national cross section of 2,402 adults, ages 18 years and over. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include:
sampling error (because only a sample of a population is
interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or
question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate
responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects
(when live interviewers are used) and weighting.
With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors
that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to
calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of
these words should be avoided.
With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it
is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error
(but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number.
With pure probability samples of 2,402 one could say with a
ninety-five percent probability that the results would have a
sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data
based on sub-samples would be higher and may vary. However, that
does not take other sources of error into account. This online
survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no
theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the
National Council on Public Polls.
About The Wall Street Journal Online
The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ), is the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Launched in 1996, the Online Journal continues to attract quality subscribers that are at the top of their industries, with 811,000 subscribers world-wide as of Q4, 2006.
The Online Journal offers three industry-specific verticals: the
award-winning Health, Media & Marketing and now Law. Health
offers authoritative analysis, breaking news and commentary from
top industry journalists. Media & Marketing is designed for
professionals in the advertising, marketing, entertainment and
media industries. Law is designed to provide law firms and
attorneys timely information on events and trends important to the
legal market. Subscribers to these verticals also get access to the
full content of the Online Journal.
In 2005, the Online Journal was awarded a Codie Award for Best
Online News Service for the second consecutive year, and its Health
Industry Edition was awarded Best Online Science or Technology
Service for the third consecutive year. The Wall Street Journal
Online network includes CareerJournal.com, OpinionJournal.com,
StartupJournal.com, RealEstateJournal.com and
CollegeJournal.com.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG in Germany, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.
To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at www.harrispollonline.com.
Press Contacts:
Tracey McNerney
Harris Interactive
585-214-7756
Christine Mohan
Dow Jones & Company
212-416-2114
Harris Interactive Inc. 4/07
Posted: April 2007
