Two new surveys by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health examine the pocketbook problems facing people in Ohio and Florida -- two presidential swing states -- including their struggles with gas prices, getting and keeing a well-paying job and affording health care. The surveys, Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida, also take an in-depth look at the impact of medical bills on family finances and health care, and provide insights into the way health care costs affect people's daily life decisions. The polls were conducted jointly by NPR and public opinion researchers at Kaiser and Harvard.

The telephone surveys involved statewide representative samples of 1,358 adults in Florida and 1,201 adults in Ohio and were conducted between May 21 and June 4.  The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample in each survey. For subgroups, the margin of error may be higher.

These surveys are a part of a series of projects about health-related issues by NPR, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. Representatives of the three organizations worked together to develop the survey questionnaire and to analyze the results, with NPR maintaining editorial control over its broadcasts on the surveys. 

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