Twenty-two percent of US residents said that health care is the most important issue for the federal government to address, behind the percentage (28%) who believe war and foreign policy issues are most important but ahead of those who said the economy (20%), terrorism (9%), tax and budget issues (6%), education (5%) and crime (3%), according to the July/August Kaiser Family Foundation... Health Poll Report. The report is based on a bimonthly, national random sample survey of 1,205 adults conducted between Aug. 4 and Aug. 8 that was designed and analyzed by researchers at Kaiser Family Foundation. Researchers also asked about seven specific health care problems (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 8/29). Twenty-six percent said that increasing the number of people with health insurance is the most important health issue for the President and Congress to deal with, followed by 25% who cited lowering the cost of health care and 15% who said that lowering prescription drug costs is most important, CQ HealthBeat reports. Thirty-four percent of Democrats said they believe that increasing the number of insured Americans was most important, while 16% of Republicans said the uninsured is the most important health care issue (Schuler, CQ HealthBeat, 8/29). Twenty-three percent of those ages 65 and older believe that lowering the cost of prescription drugs is the most important health issue, compared with 14% of those ages 50 to 64; 13% of those ages 30 to 49 and 14% of those ages 18 to 29. Twenty-six percent of those ages 18 to 29 said that lowering the cost of health insurance is the most important health issue, compared with 30% of those ages 30 to 49; 27% of those ages 50 to 64; and 12% of seniors (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 8/29).

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