Healthcare Consumer Confidence Steadies in May, According to Thomson Reuters Sentiment Index
Ann Arbor, MI June 8, 2011 - Americans' confidence in their ability to access and pay for healthcare improved in May, according to a consumer sentiment index produced by Thomson Reuters.
Respondents surveyed for the index reported an improved outlook when asked if they had experienced a reduction in or loss of insurance coverage in the past three months. Overall, the Thomson Reuters Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index rose three points from 95 in April to 98 in May, a statistically significant increase.
"This recovery in confidence is encouraging when compared with last month's numbers, but the month-to-month variability in sentiment could be an indication of underlying uncertainty among healthcare consumers," said Gary Pickens, chief research officer at the Thomson Reuters Center for Healthcare Analytics.
The index, which is based on the Thomson Reuters PULSE(TM) Healthcare Survey, has two parts:
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A retrospective component gauges respondents' experiences during the past three months. It tracks whether they postponed, delayed or cancelled healthcare services and whether they had difficulty paying for medical care or health insurance. In May, retrospective consumer sentiment showed significant improvement on the index scale, up five points to 98 from a historic low 93 in April.
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A prospective component gauges respondents' expectations for the next three months. In May, prospective consumer sentiment rose slightly to 97, one point higher than it had been in April.
The Thomson Reuters Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index is updated monthly. A full report on the May results is available here: http://healthcare.thomsonreuters.com/indexes/assets/CHSI_Findings_may.pdf
The Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare Survey collects information about healthcare behaviors, attitudes and utilization from more than 100,000 U.S. households annually. It is representative of all U.S. adults and households. The Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index is based on responses from a survey subset of 3,000 respondents each month. Its baseline measurement of 100 was set in December 2009.
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Source: Thomson Reuters Corporation via Thomson Reuters ONE
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