public opinion on prescription drugs and their prices

Public opinion on prescription drugs and their pricesPoll findings from 2015 and 2016 Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Polls

SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Polls (conducted August 6-11, 2015 and September 14-20, 2016)

of the public says that prescription drugs developed over the past 20 years have made the lives of people in the U.S. better

56%

have an unfavorableopinion of pharmaceutical companies {Aug 2015}

53%

{Sept 2016}

Not currently taking

prescription medicine

45%

Over half of Americans report

currently taking at least one

prescription medicine

SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted September 14-20, 2016)

55%


13%12%

8%

22%

1 in 5 Americans say they take four or more prescription drugs

+


77% say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable…

…but among those currently taking prescription drugs…

73% say affording them is easy.

19%

37%

SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Polls (conducted August 6-11, 2015 and September 14-20, 2016)

More prescriptions mean more problemsPercent who say they or a family member has not filled a prescription, has cut pills in half, or skipped doses because of cost: {Aug 2015}

Percent who say it is difficult for them to afford to pay the cost of their prescription medicines: {Sept 2016}

Those taking 1-3prescription drugs

Those taking 4 or more prescription drugs

-

+

25%

35%

19%

35%

30%

15%

10%

14%

26%

25%

11%

9%

Insured < age 65

Uninsured < age 65

<$40,000

$40,000-$90,000

$90,000+

SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted December 13-19, 2016)

…cut pills in half or skipped doses:

…not filled a prescription:

By

insu

ran

ce s

tatu

sB

y in

com

ePercent who say that because of cost, in the past year, they or a family member has…

74% of the public says they think people in this country pay higher

prices than people in

SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted August 6-11, 2015)

Canada,

Mexico,

and Western Europe

Cymbalta, a drug commonly prescribed for anxiety and depression, costs an average of $194 in the U.S. but $110 in Canada and $76 in Switzerland

Celebrex, a drug commonly prescribed for pain, costs an average of $225 in the U.S. but $51 in Canada and $138 in Switzerland

SOURCE: International Federation of Health Plans 2013 Comparative Price Report


73%

About the right amount of profit

21%

Don’t know/Refused

5%

Not enough profit

1%say they think drug companies make too much profit

77%Americans cite other major contributors to drug

prices too, like the costs ofmedical research (64%)

marketing and advertising (54%)lawsuits against drug companies (49%)

SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted June 2-9, 2015)

say pharmaceutical profits are a major factor contributing to prices.

86%

82%

78%

71%

66%

47%

42%

Requiring drug companies to publicly release informationon how prices are set

Allowing the federal government to negotiate lower pricesfor people on Medicare

Limiting the amount drug companies can charge for high-cost drugs for illnesses like cancer

Allowing Americans to buy prescription drugs importedfrom Canada

Creating an independent group that oversees the pricingof prescription drugs

Eliminating prescription drug advertisements

Encouraging people to buy lower cost drugs by requiringthem to pay a higher share for similar, higher cost drug

Most Americans favor several steps to lower drug costs


51%

36%

46%

76%

40%

57%

43%

19%


When asked which would do a better job keeping prescription drug prices down, the public has a slight preference for

Republicans

Independents

Democrats

but views vary by party.

market competition over government regulation,

SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted October 14-20, 2015)

62% of Americans think there is not as much regulation as there should be when it comes to limiting the price of prescription drugs.

That’s 73% of Democrats

and 54% of Republicans

62% of independents

Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Menlo Park, California.

For more information, please visit www.kff.org

Contacts:

Rakesh Singh | (650) 854-9400 | [email protected]

Craig Palosky | (202) 347-5270 | [email protected]

http://www.kff.org/

public opinion on prescription drugs and their prices

Healthcare