People say they are fairly satisfied. Trend data since at least the 1970s provide solid support of Americans' personal satisfaction with the treatment provided by doctors and hospitals and the quality and accessibility of this care. The Roper Organization reports a steady trend in satisfaction with the quality of medical care from 1973 to 1993. While people may be satisfied with their current health plans, they may worry about future costs and loss of coverage and their responses about the health care system in general may reflect these concerns. Given both the consistent support for changing the system and the high levels of concern about costs and coverage, it seems prudent to consider personal satisfaction only in relation to these other survey results.
Many people support increasing federal spending for health care.
The failure of Clinton's health plan is generally taken as an indicator of how people feel about health care reform. The results of several Harris polls suggest that many Americans desire a more fair health care system. Sixty percent agreed that it was unfair that people who pay more in taxes or in health insurance premiums should be able to get better medical care than those who pay little. The American public does indeed seem to support the ideal of universal health care coverage. There is even sizable support expressed for a system along the lines of the Canadian single-payer system.