 "Majority in US support policy changes to curb drug costs: A survey")
According to the August Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, which focused on the cost of prescription drugs, found that a strong majority of the public in the US support a wide range of policy actions to lower the costs of prescription drugs. The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll is the Kaiser Family Foundation’s signature survey project, providing consistent and up-to-date information on the public’s opinions, knowledge, and experiences with the US health care system.
The survey finds a large majority of the public view the cost of prescription drugs as unreasonable (72 percent). Similar shares say that drug companies make too much profit (73 percent) and that they are too concerned about profits and not concerned enough about patients (74 percent).
About 86 percent of the people polled in the survey want drug companies to release information on how they set prices, an idea proposed in legislatures in several states, including majorities of Democrats (90 percent), Republicans (82 percent), and independents (84 percent). Nearly, 83 percent support allowing the government to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices for people with Medicare. Similarly, 76 percent support limiting how much drug companies can charge for high-cost drugs for illnesses such as hepatitis or cancer. About 72 percent support the idea of allowing Americans to buy prescription drugs imported from Canada. Fewer (48 percent) support changes to encourage consumers to use low-cost drugs by charging them a larger share of the costs when they choose a higher-cost alternative.
The survey also assessed the public’s perception of pharmaceutical companies in comparison to other industries. Among the public overall, 42 percent hold a favourable view of pharmaceutical companies, similar to the share holding a favourable view of oil companies (40 percent) and health insurers (44 percent) but smaller than the share saying so about doctors (78 percent), food manufacturers (58 percent), banks (58 percent), and airlines (55 percent).
The survey finds a large majority of the public view the cost of prescription drugs as unreasonable (72 percent). Similar shares say that drug companies make too much profit (73 percent) and that they are too concerned about profits and not concerned enough about patients (74 percent).
About 86 percent of the people polled in the survey want drug companies to release information on how they set prices, an idea proposed in legislatures in several states, including majorities of Democrats (90 percent), Republicans (82 percent), and independents (84 percent). Nearly, 83 percent support allowing the government to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices for people with Medicare. Similarly, 76 percent support limiting how much drug companies can charge for high-cost drugs for illnesses such as hepatitis or cancer. About 72 percent support the idea of allowing Americans to buy prescription drugs imported from Canada. Fewer (48 percent) support changes to encourage consumers to use low-cost drugs by charging them a larger share of the costs when they choose a higher-cost alternative.
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“Majorities view each of these changes as likely to be effective at reducing drug costs, ranging from 81 percent who say requiring public disclosure about how drug companies set prices would be effective to 57 percent who say so about charging consumers more when they choose high-cost drugs over lower-cost ones,” said Kaiser Family Foundation in a press release.
The survey also assessed the public’s perception of pharmaceutical companies in comparison to other industries. Among the public overall, 42 percent hold a favourable view of pharmaceutical companies, similar to the share holding a favourable view of oil companies (40 percent) and health insurers (44 percent) but smaller than the share saying so about doctors (78 percent), food manufacturers (58 percent), banks (58 percent), and airlines (55 percent).