Poll: Drug prices top lists of American’ concerns

WASHINGTON — Americans believe that the accessibility and affordability of health care — particularly when it comes to prescription drugs — should be a priority for the president and congress, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s October Health Tracking Poll. 

 

Some 77% of those polled said that ensuring the affordability of high-cost drugs for patients with chronic conditions should be the government’s top health care priority. Another 63% say that a priority for lawmakers should be taking steps to bring down the cost of prescription drug prices. Alongside the majority of people who say drug prices are an issue, 62% of people said that there is not enough government regulation when it comes to limiting prescription drug prices, with 20% saying that they’re regulated the right amount and 13% saying they’re regulated too much. 

 

The cost of care is something that influenced the opinions of those polled when it comes to drugs received approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Though 69% said that the FDA should approve drugs that work and are safe but don’t work better than existing treatments, if the drug would be more expensive, the number who would favor approval dropped to 54%. 

 

The affordability of prescription drugs has been at the forefront of public debate lately, partially due to the ongoing race for the presidency and partially amid news that the House of Representatives had reached a tentative budget deal witth the White House on Tuesday — news that prompted a response from the Generic Pharmaceutical Association advocating increased access to affordable medication for Americans and calling on lawmakers to reject the deal.