Utah Foundation releases the first in a series of Utah Priorities Project briefs looking at Utah voters’ top concerns. Health care (costs and accessibility) ranked first in July 2020, maintaining its top spot since the 2016 Utah Priorities Project.
When asked their top priority regarding health care costs, nearly half of voters focused on health insurance costs, possibly because Utahns are more likely than the residents of any other state to have employer-sponsored health insurance. Another 30% were concerned about the cost of medical procedures, perhaps because Utahns spent an average of $2,800 out-of-pocket – the eighth highest in the nation. Nearly 20% were concerned about the cost of prescription medication, which likely reflects why Utah had the highest share of adults reporting they made changes to their prescription medication due to the cost. A smaller number were concerned about Medicaid costs.
“Pocketbook issues appear to unify a broad base of Utahns, and widespread concerns about health care costs reflect that,” Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard said.
Special thanks to the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and Y2 Analytics for supporting this project. The brief is available on the Utah Foundation website at https://www.utahfoundation.
