Poll: Most blame insurers for health costs

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The insurance industry is shouldering most of the blame by the U.S. public on why healthcare costs are rising so quickly, a poll released Tuesday indicates.

A online Harris Poll indicated 41 percent of the U.S. public thinks rising healthcare costs are the insurance industry's fault, compared with 16 percent each who blame pharmaceutical companies and the government, the pollsters said in a release.

The survey found the result held true in large pluralities of respondents from all demographic groups and political persuasions, whether they were Democratic, Republican, rich, poor, male or female, and across all regions of the country.

The Harris Poll, based in Rochester, N.Y., indicated Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, was favored on who would do a better job on healthcare issues over Republican opponent Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Obama led McCain 51 percent to 16 percent when respondents were asked who would do more to reduce the ranks of the uninsured.

The survey included 2,119 U.S. adults polled online between Oct. 16-20. Margin of error estimates were not provided.