TEDMED President Marc Hodosh and Founder & Chairman Emeritus Richard Saul Wurman enlisted the analysts at Penn, Schoen & Berland (PSB) to survey the American public’s views on the most important healthcare issues of today and tomorrow. From September 17-18, 2009 we interviewed 1005 consumers online about their perspectives on current and emergent issues in healthcare ranging from the reform efforts then underway to cost concerns, bioethics, pandemics and vaccinations. We think the results will interest and surprise you. For more information, please email PSB Vice President Beth Lester at blester@ps-b.com

1. NatioNal HealtHcare Survey for TEDMED:
KEY FINDINGS

2. Dear TEDMED ParticiPaNt: as you know, TEDMED provides a venue for thinkers to discuss and understand how medicine
and healthcare intersect with the rest of our culture. and of course, it does so this year while
possibly historic efforts are underway to reform the united States healthcare system. to bring
consumers’ voices into the discussion, TEDMED President Marc Hodosh and founder &
chairman emeritus richard Saul Wurman enlisted the analysts at Penn, Schoen & Berland
associates (PSB) to survey the american public’s views on the most important healthcare
issues of today and tomorrow. from September 17-18, 2009 we interviewed 1005 consumers
online about their perspectives on current and emergent issues in healthcare ranging from the
reform efforts then underway to cost concerns, bioethics, pandemics and vaccinations. We
think the results will interest and surprise you.
SincErEly,
MarK PENN, wIllIaM MaNN, JoNathaN KaY, aND thE PSB hEalthcarE GrouP

3. If the PresIdent and Congress deCIde to reform the Current healthCare system,
hEalThcarE rEforM
whICh of the followIng would you say Is the most ImPortant goal? base
Providing all americans with affordable healthcare choices 48
Making healthcare and health insurance more affordable 40
Improving the safety and quality of healthcare 11
Don’t know 2
49% are at least somewhat ConCerned about losIng theIr healthCare Coverage In the
56%
next 12 months; 21% are very ConCerned.
45% thInk that healthCare reform, as ProPosed, wIll raIse theIr healthCare Costs at
least somewhat, and 19% thInk theIr Costs wIll go uP sIgnIfICantly.
SaY that It IS MorE IMPortaNt thaN EvEr to taKE oN hEalthcarE rEForM rIGht Now.

4. whICh of the followIng faCtors do you thInk Is the most sIgnIfICant drIver
hEalThcarE coSTS
of healthCare Cost InflatIon? base
Insurance company profits 35
Malpractice lawsuits 17
Pharmaceutical costs 11
Salary growth for medical professionals 9
administrative costs 7
advances in medicine (for example, new procedures, screenings, treatments, and drugs) 7
Don’t know 7
aging population 5
35%
81% are at least somewhat ConCerned about beIng denIed aCCess to effeCtIve drugs and
treatments for Cost reasons (eIther by theIr InsuranCe ComPany or by the government).
51% thInk that doCtors are PaId too muCh under the Current system.
oF coNSuMErS BElIEvE that INSuraNcE coMPaNY ProFItS arE thE PrIMarY DrIvEr oF hEalthcarE coSt INFlatIoN.

5. MoDErnizaTion of if SuPPort MoDerNiZiNG MeDical recorDS: whICh of the followIng Is
Closest to your vIew? base
MEDical rEcorDS Private industry should be entirely responsible for the costs of medical record- keeping modernization
the federal government should pay for all or part of the costs to modernize medical record-keeping
44
39
Don’t know 16
76% SuPPort MoDErNIzING thE rEcorD-KEEPING SYStEM uSED BY thE hEalthcarE SYStEM.

6. would you agree or dIsagree wIth the statement that amerICans are
PharMacEuTicalS & overmedICated In ComParIson to CItIzens of other IndustrIalIzed natIons? base
PharMacEuTical aDvErTiSing Strongly agree 32
Somewhat agree 48
Somewhat Disagree 11
Strongly Disagree 3
Don’t know 7
57% say that there Is too muCh advertIsIng on televIsIon, and that It’s not aPProPrIate.
91%
46% say that drug ImPortatIon laws should be relaxed.
BElIEvE that MaKING GENErIc DruGS MorE avaIlaBlE IS aN IMPortaNt Part oF thE SolutIoN to rISING DruG coStS.

7. fuTurE MEDicinE 56% belIeve that sCIentIsts somewhere In the world wIll Clone a human In
theIr lIfetIme.
38% are oPPosed to medICal testIng on anImals, but of those, 32% waver
If the exPerIments In questIon lead dIreCtly to lIfe-savIng methods for
human PatIents.
PEoPlE
68% vIew laboratory-grown human organs as a medICal breakthrough they
would suPPort.
57% say they would not trust a robot to Perform a routIne surgery on them.
BElIEvE that MaJor MEDIcal BrEaKthrouGhS arE oN thE horIzoN—aND thEY’rE aNxIouS aBout thEM.

8. Diy DocTorS & whICh of the followIng statements Is Closest to your vIew? base
alTErnaTivE MEDicinE western medicine works best when complemented by practices drawn from other
medical traditions, such as acupuncture
western medicine works best on its own without other elements included
45
21
Don’t know 34
62% of resPondents say they vIsIt onlIne medICal websItes suCh as webmd to self-dIagnose
a medICal Problem.
37% say they’ve suggested a CertaIn dIagnosIs or PresCrIPtIon to theIr doCtor based on
researCh they’ve ConduCted onlIne.
aMEricanS
72% thInk that health InsuranCe ComPanIes should Cover the Cost of non-tradItIonal or
alternatIve medICInes.
67% suPPort the legalIzatIon of medICInal marIjuana.
arE turNING to Both NEw aND traDItIoNal altErNatIvES to DoctorS.

9. aging in aMErica 62% thInk It should be legal for PeoPle who are sufferIng from
InCurable ChronIC dIseases to Choose to end theIr lIves wIth the
assIstanCe of a PhysICIan.
but 46% have never dIsCussed wIth theIr famIly whether they’d lIke to
be kePt alIve through medICal means If, at some PoInt In the future,
they are termInally Ill and InCaPaCItated.
78%
BElIEvE that DurING thEIr lIFEtIME It IS lIKElY that SIGNIFIcaNt aDvaNcES wIll BE MaDE IN thE avEraGE huMaN lIFESPaN.

10. we asked respondents to say whether they prefer the government to take action or not on two behavior-
PErSonal choicE & related issues that create healthcare costs—smoking and obesity. then we showed the estimated
direct costs each issue imposes on the healthcare system (as determined by the Centers for disease
hEalThcarE iMPacTS Control)—$96 billion and $147 billion, respectively. after displaying these costs, we again asked whether
respondents preferred government action or inaction—but opinions barely shifted.
whICh smokIng PolICy oPtIon do you Prefer? before
Government action to curb smoking. 45
No government action to curb smoking. 47
Don’t know 7
whICh obesIty PolICy oPtIon do you Prefer? before
rESPonDEnTS
Government action to curb obesity. 47
No government action to curb obesity. 43
Don’t know 10
thINK INDIvIDualS ShoulD BE allowED to MaKE choIcES aBout thEIr owN BEhavIor wIthout GovErNMENt INtruSIoN, EvEN whEN thoSE choIcES IMPoSE larGE coStS oN thE hEalthcarE SYStEM.

11. MaSS MEDia &
PErcEPTionS 79% thInk that doCtors, hosPItals and medICIne are generally dePICted In
at least a somewhat PosItIve lIght.
52% of resPondents thInk that doCtors, hosPItals, and medICIne are
generally dePICted InaCCurately In movIes and televIsIon shows.
36% thInk that CelebrIty doCtors on televIsIon (suCh as dr. sanjay guPta
or dr. oz) are trustworthy medICal advIsers.
conSuMErS
SEE FIctIoNal DoctorS DEPIctED PoSItIvElY, But INaccuratElY—aND thEY’rE Not SurE that cElEBrItY DoctorS arE truStworthY, EIthEr.

12. PanDEMicS & whICh of the followIng Is Closest to your vIew? base
vaccinaTionS
vaccines are risky and generally do more harm than good 18
vaccines are low risk and generally do more good than harm 69
Don’t know 13
58% thInk that the government should mandate vaCCInatIon when PossIble In order to
Combat the sPread of dIsease.
but If the government dId mandate vaCCInatIons, only 76% would be at least somewhat
lIkely to ComPly.
desPIte wIdesPread ConCern about swIne flu, only 46% of resPondents Plan to get a flu
a SizablE
vaCCIne thIs year.
29% belIeve (at least somewhat) that ChIldhood vaCCInes are a ContrIbutIng Cause to
autIsm, though the CdC has found no lInks between the two.
MINorItY oF aMErIcaNS rEMaIN SKEPtIcal aBout thE BENEFItS oF vaccINES.

13. METhoDology Penn, Schoen & Berland associates (PSB) conducted 1,005 internet interviews with the uS general
population aged 18 and over from September 17-18, 2009. overall, the margin of error is +/- 3.1%.

14. cloSing PSB conducts research into consumer and business attitudes towards healthcare and other issues
for some of the world’s leading corporations. for more information about how PSB can provide
you with Winning Knowledge™, please visit www.psbresearch.com or contact Beth lester at
blester@ps-b.com or (202) 962-3042.