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Medicare Drug Program News
Large Majority of Americans Want Medicare to
Negotiate Better Drug Prices
Democrats have pledged congressional action to
allow it
December 11, 2006 An overwhelming majority of
Americans Democrats, independents and Republicans - support
Congressional action that will allow Medicare to negotiate with
pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for senior citizens,
according to a new poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation. It is
a pledge Democrats made in the recent congressional
elections.
 U.S.
Residents Across Political Spectrum Support Government Price
Negotiations for Medicare Prescription Drugs, Survey Finds
Eighty-five percent of U.S. residents support
allowing government negotiation of prescription drug prices for the
Medicare drug benefit, according to a
Kaiser Family Foundation survey released Friday, the
Washington Post reports (Lee, Washington Post, 12/9).
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For the survey, the Kaiser Family Foundation and
the
Harvard School of Public Health polled a nationally representative
sample of 1,867 adults from Nov. 9 through Nov. 19.
The survey aimed to gauge U.S. residents'
priorities and views on health issues as Democrats take control of
Congress and the 2008 presidential campaign begins to form.
The survey found that 92% of Democrats, 85% of
Independents and 74% of Republicans favor government negotiation of drug
prices under Medicare.
About 80% of U.S. residents believe drug price
negotiations will reduce the cost of medications, while 31% believe it
will result in less research and development by U.S. drug companies
(Kaiser Family Foundation
release, 12/8).
According to the Post, the survey's findings
suggest "there will be considerable political pressure on the next
Congress" to act on legislation that would allow government negotiations
for Medicare drugs.
Those who oppose such negotiations say government
involvement "could be logistically difficult and would not necessarily
lower drug prices," according to the Post. In addition, opponents say
that price negotiations could limit beneficiaries' choices of
medications if some medications are favored over others to obtain
discounts and that lobbyists might influence which drugs are available.
House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on
Friday said Democrats would pass legislation within the first 100 hours
of the new Congress directing the Bush administration to use its
bargaining power to negotiate Medicare drug discounts. The Bush
administration opposes efforts to require such negotiations (Lee,
Washington Post, 12/9).
Additional Findings
When asked to pick their top health care priority,
35% of people said expanding coverage for the uninsured and 30% said
reducing health costs, according to the survey.
About 18% said improving the Medicare drug benefit
is their top health care priority, while 6% said their top health care
priority is reducing spending on government health programs.
However, the top public policy priority overall is
the war in Iraq, with 46% of U.S. residents naming it as one of two
issues they would like Congress and the president to address next year.
The survey also found:
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Want Drugs from Canada, Too
There is also widespread support for
permitting Americans to buy lower-priced prescription drugs from
Canada (79%, including 55% strongly and 24% somewhat). |
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● 79% of U.S. residents support allowing
residents to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada;
● 73% of Democrats said they would like a
presidential candidate to introduce a health proposal that makes a major
effort to provide near-universal health coverage, compared with 18% who
would prefer a more limited plan and 7% who favor a plan that maintains
status quo;
● 55% of Independents and 37% of Republicans
would like to see a major health care proposal by a presidential
candidate;
● A majority of U.S. residents said the prices of
a number of health care services are unreasonable compared with other
goods and services, including hospital charges (86% ), brand name drug
prices (83%), health insurance premiums (70%), nursing home charges
(63%) and physician fees (59%);
● 20% of U.S. residents said the prices of
generic drugs are unreasonable;
● Among those who say health-related prices are
unreasonable, 86% of Democrats, 74% of Independents and 65% of
Republicans believe government should try to address the issue; and
● When asked to choose between two approaches,
59% support direct government action to address health care costs, while
34% support a more market-based solution (Kaiser Family Foundation
release, 12/8).
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Overall, what message would you send to policymakers in
Washington? Would you say the new Medicare drug benefit
? (%) |
|
| |
|
Total |
Under 65 |
65+ |
|
|
8 |
7 |
12 |
Is
working well and no real changes are needed |
|
43 |
43 |
41 |
Could
be improved with some minor changes |
|
27 |
27 |
28 |
Is not
working well and needs major changes |
|
8 |
7 |
10 |
Is not
working well and should be repealed |
|
14 |
15 |
9 |
Dont
know |
|
* |
* |
1 |
Refused |
|
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Comments
Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew
Altman said, "Many of the health policy proposals currently on the
congressional agenda are broadly popular with the public, from drug
price negotiation to reimportation to children's health insurance."
He added, "Health care is well positioned to emerge
as a top national issue in 2008 and beyond, but only if the situation in
Iraq stabilizes and presidential candidates spark a national discussion
about health reform."
Mollyann Brodie, a Kaiser Family Foundation vice
president and director of Kaiser's
Public Opinion and Media Research program, said, "The public shows
some appetite for the kind of broader health measures that have largely
been absent from the agenda for many years, but that interest could wane
in a full-fledged debate when critics mount opposition campaigns or if
people come to believe that a plan would threaten their own medical
arrangements."
Robert J. Blendon, professor of health policy and
political analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health and the
Kennedy School of Government, said, "These findings suggest that we
are likely to see more public pressure on Congress to address the health
care cost issue in the years ahead" (Kaiser Family Foundation News
Release, 12/8).
● The Kaiser Family Foundation survey is available
online.
● A webcast of an event to release the survey findings, as well as a
second briefing sponsored by the
Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation
featuring key White House and Congressional health policy advisers, is
available
online on
kaisernetwork.org.
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