More on wages vs. health benefits

If you only read headlines you're liable to be misled. Take this example:

Blogger Matthew Holt (who I met last week at BlogHer) writes this post entitled: Employees want health insurance, not pay rise.

But if you click through to the Harris Poll figures Matthew is pointing to, you learn this:

"A majority (59%) of adults with employer-provided health insurance say that when looking to the next year, it is more important for them to get a decent pay increase than it is to maintain or improve their current level of health insurance. However, more than a third (35%) say maintaining their current benefit level is more important, an increase of six percentage points from 2003."

Now that 35% is a 6-point increase over the 2003 figures, but still hardly justifies Matthew's post title.

Then you look at the next question: "A majority (61%) of adults with employer-provided health insurance say that if faced with a choice, they would choose to have no pay increase but maintain their current health insurance benefit, compared to 56 percent who felt this way in 2003. Approximately three-in-ten (29%) say they would choose to get a decent pay increase and take a significant cut in their health insurance benefits."

What? Wait. Isn't that contradictory? People say a raise is more important than maintaining or improving their health coverage, but a majority said if they had to pick only one they would pick maintaining their health coverage...isn't that desert island type of choice the very indicator of "importance"?

it is until you look at the way the actual questions were asked.

Question #1: Next year what is more important to you:
a) Getting a decent pay increase or
b) Maintaining or improving your current level of health insurance

Question #2: If you were faced with a choice, which one of the following would you choose?:
a) Having no pay increase but maintaining your current health insurance benefits
b) Getting a decent pay increase and having a significant reduction in your health insurance

Notice how in Question #1 they thrown in the possibility of "improving" one's health insurance benefits? Sure the idea of "maintaining" is there, but by adding the possibility of improvement the choice is easier to reject because if one is confronted with either pay improvement (which you will feel with every paycheck) or health insurance improvements (which you may only feel if something bad happens), the latter can definitely take a back seat.

Meanwhile, notice how in question #2 those being surveyed are confronted with the specter of a "significant" reduction in health insurance?

Now that's scary. And skews the results, just as talking about improvements skewed the results in Question #1.

It's the problem with any poll: it's all in how the questions are asked.

Comments

[California Health Insurance]

It is unfortunate to hear so many lack health insurance. We really need to improve our health care system. Health insurance is a major aspect to many and we should help everyone get covered.

[Blue Cross of California]

Something must be done to fix our health care system.

[Anthem]

Now that Obama is in the office I hope he makes something happen to inmprove out healthcare system.

[Anthem California]

I know of a friend who went to work at Starbuks part time just to get health benefits. I am looking for Obaba with all of his promises to solve our healthcare crisis