ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Most U.S. adults support approving the use of medical treatments and procedures that can impact people's quality of life, including birth control treatments, in-vitro fertilization, drugs to treat erectile dysfunction and improve memory and to help with weight loss. Large majorities also believe these types of treatments should be covered by health insurance. Support for approval and coverage diminishes for treatments that primarily impact people's personal appearance, such as drugs to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, plastic surgery to help people look younger and growth hormones to help children grow taller.
Approval for Medical Use
Strong majorities support the approval of medical treatments such as birth-control pills and other birth-control procedures (88%), drugs that improve memory (77%) and in-vitro fertilization (76%) if they are generally safe and effective. Men are more likely than women to believe that treatments impacting people's personal appearance, such as drugs that help with weight loss (68% vs. 67%, respectively) or plastic surgery (52% vs. 46%) should be approved.
What Should Insurance Cover?
Eight in ten (81%) adults believe that birth-control pills and other birth-control procedures should be covered by health insurance, at least in some part and two-thirds (63%) support coverage for in-vitro fertilization. Women are more likely than men to feel that birth-control treatments (88% vs. 72%) and in-vitro fertilization (69% vs. 59%) should be covered by health insurance. More than two-thirds of all adults think insurance should cover drugs that improve memory (65%), while three in five (59%) support coverage for weight-loss drugs and half (50%) support coverage for drugs to treat erectile or other sexual dysfunction. Only one in five adults (21%) believes that drugs to help keep you awake should be covered by insurance and 13 percent support insurance coverage for drugs to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
TABLE 1
APPROVAL FOR MEDICAL USE
"Please review the list below of medical treatments and procedures; some of which have been approved and some have not. For each of the following, do you
think this should be approved for medical use if it is generally safe and effective?" Base: All adults Should Should Not Not Sure % % % Birth control pills or other birth-control procedures 88 5 8 Drugs that improve your memory 77 7 15 In-vitro fertilization to help people have children 76 11 13 Drugs like Viagra to treat erectile or other sexual dysfunction 69 13 18 Drugs that help you lose weight 68 18 15 Plastic surgery to make people look better or younger 49 28 22 Drugs like Botox to reduce the appearance of wrinkles 42 36 22 Human growth hormones that can help small children grow taller 40 31 29 Drugs that help keep you awake 38 37 25 Note: Multiple-response question. TABLE 2 APPROVAL FOR MEDICAL USE-BY GENDER
"Please review the list below of medical treatments and procedures, some of which have been approved and some have not. For each of the following, do you
think this should be approved for medical use if it is generally safe and effective?" Summary of Should Base: All adults Total Male Female % % % Birth control pills or other birth-control procedures 88 84 90 Drugs that improve your memory 77 77 77 In-vitro fertilization to help people have children 76 74 78 Drugs like Viagra to treat erectile or other sexual dysfunction 69 76 63 Drugs that help you lose weight 68 68 67 Plastic surgery to make people look better or younger 49 52 46 Drugs like Botox to reduce the appearance of wrinkles 42 46 38 Human growth hormones that can help small children grow taller 40 44 36 Drugs that help keep you awake 38 44 33 Note: Multiple response question. TABLE 3
HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MEDICAL CARE "If this type of medical care was approved, do you think it should be covered,
at least in some part, by health insurance?" Base: All Adults Should Should Not Not Sure % % % Birth control pills or other birth-control procedures 81 12 7 Drugs that improve your memory 65 20 15 In-vitro fertilization to help people have children 63 25 13 Drugs that help you lose weight 59 27 14 Drugs like Viagra to treat erectile or other sexual dysfunction 50 35 15 Human growth hormones that can help small children grow taller 45 32 23 Plastic surgery to make people look better or younger 16 69 15 Drugs like Botox to reduce the appearance of wrinkles 13 74 13 Drugs that help keep you awake 21 60 19 Note: Multiple-response question. TABLE 4
HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MEDICAL CARE-BY GENDER "If this type of medical care was approved, do you think it should be covered,
at least in some part, by health insurance?" Summary of Should Base: All adults Total Male Female % % % Birth control pills or other birth-control procedures 81 72 88 Drugs that improve your memory 65 63 66 In-vitro fertilization to help people have children 63 55 69 Drugs like Viagra to treat erectile or other sexual dysfunction 50 51 50 Drugs that help you lose weight 59 58 61 Human growth hormones that can help small children grow taller 45 45 46 Drugs that help keep you awake 21 22 20 Plastic surgery to make people look better or younger 16 15 17 Drugs like Botox to reduce the appearance of wrinkles 13 14 13 Note: Multiple-response question. Methodology
Harris Interactive(R) conducted this online survey within the United States between April 4 and 6, 2007 among a national cross section of 2,402 adults, ages 18 years and over. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.
With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.
With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With pure probability samples of 2,402 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the results would have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and may vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
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