Poll Finds Most Americans Believe Nurses Are Underpaid

Aug. 11, 2021 -- Large majorities of some Democrats and Republicans judge that nurses and wellness attraction aides are underpaid, portion galore Americans accidental doctors, carnal therapists, and pharmacists are paid astir the close amount, according to a caller poll.

The bipartisan statement connected wellness attraction workers’ wage stands successful opposition to the crisp disagreement betwixt Democrats and Republicans connected wellness argumentation issues, which has remained mostly unchanged since earlier the pandemic.

The canvass was taken June 10-14 by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Only 11% of respondents judge doctors are underpaid, 50% deliberation they’re paid the close amount, and 39% deliberation they’re overpaid.

In contrast, 59% of Americans deliberation nurses are underpaid, 32% judge they’re paid the close amount, and 6% accidental they’re paid excessively much. The results for wellness attraction aides are astir the same.

Insurance executives and infirmary executives took it connected the chin successful this survey. A whopping 73% of respondents accidental wellness program officials are overpaid; 68% accidental the aforesaid astir infirmary executives.

Little Difference Between Parties

Breaking the information down by governmental affiliation, lone a fewer percent points abstracted Democrats, independents, and Republicans successful whether they deliberation doctors and nurses are underpaid, overpaid, oregon person the close amount. Seventy-six percent of Democrats, 53% of independents, and 65% of Republicans deliberation infirmary executives are overpaid.

Partisanship besides has small power connected the level of spot successful wellness attraction professionals. Overall, 70% of Americans spot their doctors to bash what is close for them and their families, including 72% of Republicans, 52% of independents, and 77% of Democrats. Trust successful nurses is adjacent higher, astatine 79% for each respondents.

Similarly, 75% of respondents spot pharmacists, with akin numbers of Republicans and Democrats.

Three-quarters of the full illustration distrust infirmary executives, including 70% of Democrats, 76% of independents, and 79% of Democrats.

Health Care Policy Divide

As always, Republicans and Democrats disagree connected cardinal wellness argumentation issues. While 44% of Americans favour the Affordable Care Act, and 31% reason it, lone 14% of Republicans and 26% of independents endorse the law. In contrast, 77% of Democrats enactment what’s go known arsenic Obamacare.

When asked astir the “public option” -- a government-administered wellness program disposable to each Americans that would vie with backstage wellness security -- 48% of the respondents endorse it, and 20% reason it. But conscionable 27% of Republicans and 38% of independents enactment this policy, compared to 71% of Democrats.

Similarly, 38% of Americans privation a single-payer wellness attraction strategy and 35% don’t privation it. The percentages of Republicans (18%) and independents (27%) who similar the single-payer strategy are acold little than the 59% of Democrats who are acceptable for it.

There are acold smaller differences among Americans connected the question of whether the national authorities and backstage insurers should beryllium allowed to negociate for little prices connected medicine drugs. Seventy-two percent of respondents enactment this idea, including 68% of Republicans, 55% of independents, and 82% of Democrats.

More Liberals Want Raises for Nurses

Supporters of the Affordable Care Act, a single-payer system, and a nationalist enactment are much apt than different Americans to accidental that nurses and wellness attraction aides are underpaid and security executives are overpaid.

The bulk of Americans favour authorities backing to summation the fig of doctors, but Democrats are importantly much apt to endorse the argumentation than are Republicans. The level of enactment for this argumentation is akin to that for expanding authorities wellness sum for low-income people. But expanding the fig of doctors is little fashionable than utilizing authorities backing to little out-of-pocket costs for patients.

While 70% of Democrats favour authorities enactment for expanding the fig of doctors, lone 41% of Republicans backmost specified a proposal. Similarly, 84% of Democrats enactment expanding backing for expanded authorities wellness security sum for low-income people, compared to 33% of Republicans.