It's long been a truism that voters give high marks to their own congressmen and senators, but hold a low opinion of Congress generally. A similar disconnect, it seems, is prevalent among workers on the topic of health care.
According to the most recent issue of the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI), most workers continue to be satisfied with their own health plan, but a growing number give low ratings to the health care system generally.
When EBRI surveyed workers to rate the U.S. health care system, roughly 3 in 10 describe it as poor (29 percent) or fair (32 percent). One quarter consider it good, while only a small minority rate it as very good (10 percent) or excellent (1 percent).
Dissatisfaction with the health care system, the study adds, is focused mainly on cost.
In contrast, the survey shows, one-half of those with health insurance coverage are "extremely satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the quality of their plans.