Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report: “Twenty-one percent of U.S. residents reported having difficulty paying for needed medical care or medications in December 2008, up from 18% in January 2008, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, USA Today reports. The poll, conducted by Gallup and disease management company Healthways, surveyed an estimated 1,000 U.S. residents each day during 2008 about their physical, emotional and economic well-being for a total of 355,334 respondents. According to Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist for well-being and workplace management, each percentage point represents about 2.2 million U.S. residents (Szabo/Appleby, USA Today, 3/11).”