Poll: Broad public support for government drug pricing
As Congress debates cutting prescription drug costs, a poll released last week found the vast majority of adults — regardless of their political party or age — support letting the federal government negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries and those in private health insurance plans.
The argument that pharmaceutical companies need to charge high prices to invest in research and develop new drugs does little to change that sentiment, according to the new KFF poll. Most respondents agreed the negotiation strategy is needed because Americans pay more than people in other countries and because companies’ profits are too high.
Various polls, in addition to KFF’S, have found the plan to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices to be very popular. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.) The policy has polled favorably for at least the past six years, according to Ashley Kirzinger, associate director of public opinion and survey research at KFF.
Still, congressional lawmakers have yet to reach a consensus on whether to include such a provision in the major reconciliation bill aimed at funding President Joe Biden’s domestic policy agenda. Republican lawmakers generally oppose efforts to impose price restraints on prescription drugs. Democrats in the House are pushing a bill that would allow changes in Medicare drug policies, including negotiations of prices for some medications. The bill passed the House last year but has run into opposition this fall. A few moderate Democrats have introduced a narrower approach.