ANN ARBOR, MI – Consumer confidence in their healthcare spending has grown 12 percent since March, according to a new report by Thomson Reuters.

The report, Thomson Reuters Healthcare Indexes: Consumer Confidence, is based on telephone surveys of 3,000 households each month from March through July 2009 -- part of the Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare Survey.

Consumers were asked about their ability to pay for medical care and the likelihood they would postpone or cancel care during the next three months due to economic concerns.

Some of the report's key findings include:

• Overall consumer confidence increased 12 percent between March and July.
• A sub-index reflecting respondents' belief that they will be able to pay for their healthcare expenses in the next three months rose 18 percent during the study period.
• Sub-indexes that reflect respondents' anticipated ability to access routine care, urgent care, medical testing, elective surgery and therapies all increased between 8 percent and 15 percent.
• Overall confidence levels and rate of improvement of confidence were both highest among seniors.
• Those without insurance coverage had overall confidence levels 80 percent lower than average in July.

"These findings are consistent with data we've been seeing for everything from hospital discharge trends to opinions about healthcare reform," said Gary Pickens, chief research officer for the Healthcare & Science business of Thomson Reuters and lead author of the study. "There is growing optimism among many healthcare consumers, but also is a clear disparity in outlook between those with higher income levels who have insurance coverage and those who are uninsured. This gap needs to be an area of focus for healthcare professionals and policymakers.”

PULSE polls more than 100,000 U.S. households each year about their healthcare behaviors, attitudes and utilization, making it the nation's largest and longest running privately funded healthcare survey.