OAKLAND, California (June 8, 2022) – A growing number of Californians are feeling positive about health care, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to a new survey commissioned by Blue Shield of California. The survey of 1,000 Californians was conducted in February of this year.
The second annual Blue Shield of California / Harris survey, known as Vital Signs, found that when it comes to the health care they receive, the vast majority of adults in California (86%) rate the quality of care as good, an increase from last year’s results (80%). Nearly three in five respondents (59%) said they had easy access to health care, with 30% of respondents overall saying they had a “very” easy time.
Access gaps are narrowing, with nearly half of respondents (48%) saying COVID-19 has made access to care more difficult for low-income workers, down from 62% who felt this way. a year earlier. Fewer African American respondents, 15 percent, said the health care they receive now is poor, compared to last year, when 28 percent felt that way.
The number of people who said they delayed medical care for something other than COVID-19, or someone from their family, dropped to 36% from 40% a year ago. Furthermore, 36% said they used telemedicine for the first time during the pandemic, about the same as in 2021.
“We see some positive news in the survey data, but we also see opportunities for improvement for our healthcare system,” said Peter Long, Ph.D., executive vice president of Strategy and Health Solutions at Blue Shield of California. “That’s why we launched our Health Reimagined initiative in 2020, and last year we also leaned to help California’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts with fairness and equity as guiding principles. We are committed to helping improve access to healthcare, reduce costs and accelerate the digital transformation needed to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends that is sustainable and affordable. “
Here is a snapshot of the additional survey results:
- Nearly half of Californians (49%) who ever sought professional mental health help did so for the first time during the pandemic. About one in five Californians (22%) said their mental health deteriorated during the pandemic.
- Although most Californians gave their employers good marks for keeping employees (75%) and customers (80%) safe, 49% said employers need to do more and 43% he said they will never feel safe in public again.
- When it comes to provider access, 39% of African Americans, 38% of Asian Americans and 36% of Hispanics said having a doctor or specialist of their own race / ethnicity was important versus 17% of whites. However, only 32% of Asian Americans, 39% of Hispanics and 50% of African Americans felt it was easy to find suppliers of their race / ethnicity.
To download the report, click here.
About the survey
Vital Signs is the second annual Blue Shield of California / Harris survey. The survey was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Blue Shield of California between 9 and 21 February 2022 among 1,009 California residents over the age of 18. The survey includes a broad swath of the general public in California: private insured, uninsured, MediCal beneficiaries, self-insured, and more. For full survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, contact Blue Shield of California.
About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California is committed to creating a health care system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainable and affordable. Blue Shield of California is an independent, non-profit member of the Blue Shield Association with 4.7 million members, 7,800 employees and $ 22.9 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide healthcare, dental, eye care, Medicaid and Medicare plans in California. The company has contributed $ 120 million to the Blue Shield of California Foundation over the past three years to impact California communities.
For more news on Blue Shield of California, visit news.blueshieldca.com.
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