Publication date: September 22, 2021
Written by: Nick Stehle
The Center for Excellence in Polling (CEP) recently surveyed likely voters in Florida to gauge their feelings on several health care issues. As it turns out, patient access to proven treatments for COVID-19 and price transparency are wildly popular among all voters.
Voters agree: Expand access to monoclonal antibody treatments
Most notable is support for monoclonal antibody treatments (mAb). This is a new treatment that helps patients recover more quickly from COVID-19 and reduces hospitalizations by as much as 80%. An overwhelming majority of all Florida voters support expanding access to mAb treatments for people diagnosed with COVID-19 (77%).
Voters in all parties are in lockstep with each other on this issue. Floridians agree that mAb treatments could be a game changer for saving lives—it only makes sense that access be expanded. When it comes mAb treatments, there is little to no partisan divide in Florida.
Florida voters support price transparency
84%
Most Floridians have likely received a medical procedure, only to have no idea how much it costs until a hefty bill comes in the mail. A vast majority of all Florida voters support requiring hospitals to disclose the cost of planned procedures to patients at least 72 hours prior to check-in.
62%
Similarly, Floridians support requiring insurance companies to pass savings on to patients when possible. Well over half of all voters support requiring insurance companies to allow patients to keep part of the savings when they choose equal care that is more affordable.
Florida voters favor improved access and options
85%
Voters don’t want to be boxed in when it comes to health care—they want options. Our survey revealed that most voters support making it easier for small groups and businesses to band together to provide more affordable health insurance options to their employees.
75%
Further, Florida voters just want to be able to choose a health care provider they trust instead of being bound by in network/out of network red tape. A majority of voters support requiring health insurance companies to accept patient referrals to in-network medical providers from health care providers who are out of network.