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Health Care Advocates and Elected Officials in Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, West Virginia React to New Polls Showing Strong Support for Prescription Drug Reform

By June 8, 2021June 11th, 2021No Comments

West Health Polls in Four States Show Voters’ Strong Support For Allowing Medicare to Negotiate Drugs Prices,  Rejection of Pharma’s Argument That Reform Would Harm Innovation

Protect Our Care hosted four virtual press conferences to discuss new polls conducted by Global Strategies Group on behalf of West Health showing health care is a top priority for Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, and West Virginia voters.

Lowering prescription drug prices in particular remains a priority for voters in the four states, with an overwhelming majority reporting that they support giving Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices for all Americans. The polls also show that voters reject drug companies’ arguments on innovation.

Protect Our Care recently launched The Campaign to Reduce Drug Prices, a seven-figure investment to demonstrate the urgent need for comprehensive legislation to lower drug prices. Protect Our Care will host events both nationally and in 13 key states, including Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, and West Virginia throughout the summer.

ARIZONA: Thursday, June 3, 2021 — Rx Drug Reform Polling Event with AZ State Senator Engel, POC Executive Director Brad Woodhouse, and Local Storyteller

Key findings from the poll include:

  • Voters believe the benefit of reducing drug prices outweighs the negative impact on innovation and standards. 
      • Voters believe the benefit of reducing drug prices outweighs the negative impact on innovation and standards. Voters in Arizona are much more likely to agree with the statement we should allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies to make drugs and medication more affordable to patients (72%) than the statement by letting Medicare dictate prescription drug prices, we will undercut drug companies’ ability to innovate and develop new drugs (13%). This sentiment to let Medicare negotiate with drug companies is consistently held across the partisan spectrum with Democrats (81%), independents (67%), and Republicans (66%).
  • More than half of voters in Arizona agree with the statement Americans pay too much for brand name prescription drugs – almost four times what people pay in Germany, France, and Japan.
    • Almost two thirds of voters in Arizona agree with the statement Americans pay too much for brand name prescription drugs — almost four times what people pay in Germany, France, and Japan (61%) —- rather than a statement by letting Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices based on international standards, we will be importing price controls from other countries that do not have health systems as strong as the United States (15%). The sentiment that Americans pay too much is consistent across the partisan spectrum with a majority of Democrats (63%), independents (52%), and Republicans (60%).
    • Voters are also more likely to support implementing stronger price controls for new drugs that are released into the market.

You can watch the press conference here. You can read the poll memo here and the slide presentation here. Learn more about how the Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3) will make prescription drugs more affordable here.

DELAWARE: Monday, June 7, 2021 – Health Care Advocates and Storytellers React to New Poll Showing Delawareans’ Strong Support for Prescription Drug Reform

Key findings from the poll include:

  • Voters strongly support giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices and believe the benefit of reducing drug prices outweighs any negative impact on innovation. 
      • “An overwhelming majority of voters in Delaware support requiring drug companies to negotiate with Medicare for lower prescription drug prices for all Americans (88% support/5% oppose). This broad support is consistent across demographics and there is particularly strong support among voters 55 and older (92% support), and men 55 and older (93%). There is overwhelming support across the partisan spectrum with Democrats (91%), independents (82%), and Republicans (86%) all supporting this measure.”
      • “Voters in Delaware overwhelmingly agree with the statement we should allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies to make drugs and medication more affordable to patients (76%) than the statement by letting Medicare dictate prescription drug prices, we will undercut drug companies’ ability to innovate and develop new drugs (14%).”
  • Reducing prescription drug prices is a top issue for Delaware voters, and majorities of all parties agree that drug prices are going up. 
    • “Prescription drug prices are a real priority for voters in Delaware (79% top/major priority) and a top priority for more than a third Delaware voters (34% top priority). Voters 65 and older (43%), Black voters (43%), and Democrats (40%) tend to rank prescription drug prices as a particularly high priority.”
    • “More than two-thirds of voters in Delaware voters say that they think drug prices are going up (67% going up). Those most likely to think that drug prices are going up include voters 65 and older (72%), men 55 and older (74%), non-college women (73%), and Black and Hispanic voters (78%). Across the partisan spectrum, Democrats (69%), independents (75%), and Republicans (63%) all believe that prescription drug prices are going up.”

You can read the polling memo here and slide presentation here, listen to the Protect Our Care Delaware press call here, and learn more about H.R. 3 here.

NEW JERSEY: Wednesday, June 2, 2021 — Rx Drug Reform Polling Event with State Senator Vin Gopal and Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse and Patient Storyteller

Key findings from the poll include:

  • Voters strongly support giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices and believe the benefit of reducing drug prices outweighs any negative impact on innovation. 
      • “An overwhelming majority of voters in New Jersey support requiring drug companies to negotiate with Medicare for lower prescription drug prices for all Americans (88% support/5% oppose). This broad support is consistent across demographics and there is particularly strong support among voters 55 and older (92% support), and men 55 and older (93%). There is overwhelming support across the partisan spectrum with Democrats (91%), independents (82%), and Republicans (86%) all supporting this measure.”
      • “Voters in Delaware overwhelmingly agree with the statement we should allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies to make drugs and medication more affordable to patients (76%) than the statement by letting Medicare dictate prescription drug prices, we will undercut drug companies’ ability to innovate and develop new drugs (14%).”
  • Reducing prescription drug prices is a top issue for Delaware voters, and majorities of all parties agree that drug prices are going up. 
    • “Prescription drug prices are a real priority for voters in Delaware (79% top/major priority) and a top priority for more than a third Delaware voters (34% top priority). Voters 65 and older (43%), Black voters (43%), and Democrats (40%) tend to rank prescription drug prices as a particularly high priority.”
    • “More than two-thirds of voters in Delaware voters say that they think drug prices are going up (67% going up). Those most likely to think that drug prices are going up include voters 65 and older (72%), men 55 and older (74%), non-college women (73%), and Black and Hispanic voters (78%). Across the partisan spectrum, Democrats (69%), independents (75%), and Republicans (63%) all believe that prescription drug prices are going up.”

You can watch the press conference here, and learn more about how the Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3) will make prescription drugs more affordable here.

Coverage:

  • InsiderNJ: New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal and Health Care Advocates React to New Poll Showing New Jerseyans’ Broad Support for Prescription Drug Reform

WEST VIRGINIA: Thursday May 6, 2021 — Lower Rx Drug Costs Virtual Event with West Virginians for Affordable Healthcare, WV Citizen Action Group, Storytellers, and Advocates

Key findings from the poll include:

  • Voters believe the benefit of reducing drug prices outweighs the negative impact on innovation and standards. 
      • Voters in West Virginia are much more likely to agree with the statement we should allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies to make drugs and medication more affordable to patients (74%) than the statement by letting Medicare dictate prescription drug prices, we will undercut drug companies’ ability to innovate and develop new drugs (12%). This sentiment held across the partisan spectrum with the majority of Democrats (78%), independents (62%), and Republicans (74%) sharing it.
  • More than half of voters in West Virginia agree with the statement Americans pay too much for brand name prescription drugs – almost four times what people pay in Germany, France, and Japan.
    • Nearly sixty percent of voters in West Virginia agree with the statement Americans pay too much for brand name prescription drugs — almost four times what people pay in Germany, France, and Japan (58%)  — rather than a statement about letting Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices based on international standards, we will be importing price controls from other countries that do not have health systems as strong as the United States (21%).
    • Voters are also more likely to support implementing stronger price controls for new drugs that are released into the market.

You can listen to the press call here, and learn more about how the Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3) will make prescription drugs more affordable here.

Coverage: