Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: June 2015 June 16, 2015 Poll Finding Given recent news about some high-cost prescription drugs and the debate about who should pay for them, this month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll has a special focus on the issue. Nearly three-quarters of the public think that the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable. Americans place much of the blame with the drug companies saying they set prices too high and that company profits are a major factor in drug pricing. The poll also finds that most of the public still hasn’t heard much about the Supreme Court case on whether people in states with federal marketplaces are eligible for financial assistance to purchase health insurance. Most feel that Congress and states should act if the Court rules for the plaintiffs, but there is no agreement among partisans.
Poll Finds Nearly Three Quarters of Americans Say Prescription Drug Costs Are Unreasonable, and Most Blame Drug Makers Rather Than Insurers for the Problem June 16, 2015 News Release If Supreme Court’s King v. Burwell Decision Restricts Insurance Subsidies to Certain States, Most Say Congress Should Act to Ensure Residents of All States are Eligible, and a Majority in Potentially Affected States say Their State Should Act Public’s Views on Affordable Care Act Are Divided and Unchanged: 42% Unfavorable…
Most Say They Can Afford Their Prescription Drugs, But One in Four Say Paying is Difficult, Including More Than Four in Ten People Who are Sick August 20, 2015 News Release Large Bipartisan Majorities Support Range of Policy Changes They Believe Would Curb Drug Costs Opinion on the Affordable Care Act Remains Largely Unchanged In August About half of Americans (54%) report currently taking a prescription drug, and a large majority of them (72%) say their prescriptions are very or somewhat…
Americans’ Health Priorities Diverge From Washington’s Focus on Obamacare May 4, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman finds the public’s health-care priorities have more to do with drug costs and other real-world issues people deal with using the health-care system than the ongoing partisan wrangling over the Affordable Care Act. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available…
Prescription Drug Costs Remain Atop the Public’s National Health Care Agenda, Well Ahead of Affordable Care Act Revisions and Repeal October 28, 2015 News Release 28% of Public Report Asking Doctor about a Drug They Saw Advertised, and 12% Say Their Doctor Prescribed It Few Workers Expect Raises if Employers Reduce Health Benefits to Avoid Cadillac Tax as Many Economists Predict With some presidential candidates laying out details of their health care platforms, the cost…
Large Majorities Favor Wide Range of Policy Changes to Curb Prescription Drug Costs, Including Those That Give Government a Greater Role in Negotiating or Limiting Prices September 29, 2016 News Release Amid news reports about increases in the price for EpiPen and other drugs, the vast majority of Americans – including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents – support several policy changes to control the cost of prescription drugs, including some that would expand government’s role in drug pricing, the latest…
New Analysis Finds Out-of-Pocket Prescription Drug Spending Decreasing on Average, But More People Spending in Excess of $1,000 a Year October 28, 2016 News Release A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that average annual out-of-pocket prescription drug spending for workers and family members decreased from a recent high of $167 in 2009 to $144 in 2014. Most of the decline in out-of-pocket spending occurred between 2009 and 2012 and is likely due to generic…
Visualizing Health Policy: Recent Trends in Prescription Drug Costs April 5, 2016 Infographic This Visualizing Health Policy infographic with JAMA spotlights national spending on prescription drugs and the public’s views on pharmaceutical prices.
Visualizing Health Policy: Recent Trends in Prescription Drug Costs April 5, 2016 News Release This Visualizing Health Policy infographic spotlights national spending on prescription drugs and the public’s views on pharmaceutical prices. Prescription drug spending rose sharply in 2014, driven by growth in expenditures on specialty drugs, including medications to treat cancer and hepatitis C. Medicare’s spending on prescription pharmaceuticals also has risen, largely…
Visualizing Health Policy: U.S. Public Opinion on Health Care Reform, 2017 March 29, 2017 News Release This slideshow supports a Visualizing Health Policy infographic with JAMA, spotlighting public opinion on health reform in the United States as of 2017, including priorities and views of the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and its provisions.