Poor economy may be coloring views of nation's health

Public skepticism about health isn't confined to doubts about last year's healthcare law. Despite evidence to the contrary, most Americans also think the overall health of the public isn't improving, according to a new poll commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The poll found that 45% of people thought the health of Americans had become worse during the past five years, and 40% thought it had stayed about the same. Only 13% thought it was better. "Americans are convinced not only that the healthcare systems are not working, but health in the country is deteriorating," said Robert Blendon, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who conducted the poll.