dr. mollyann brodie: "what soaring drug prices mean for patients," 9.3.15

Public’s Views On Prescription Drugs

Recent Findings From The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll

September 3, 2015

Mollyann Brodie, PhDSenior Vice President for Executive Operations and Executive Director Public Opinion and Survey Research

Conundrums in the Public’s Views

NOTE: Items asked of half samples. Question wording is abbreviated. See topline for full question wording.SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted April 8-14, 2015)

Partisan Differences In Top Priorities For Health Care

Percent who say each of the following should be a top health care priority for the President and Congress:

RANK TOTAL DEMOCRATS INDEPENDENTS REPUBLICANS

1 Making sure that high-cost drugs for chronic conditions are affordable to those who

need them (76%)

Making sure that high-cost drugs for chronic conditions are affordable to those who

need them (87%)


need them (72%)


need them (66%)

2 Government action to lower prescription drug prices

(60%)

Requiring all states to expand their Medicaid program

(74%)

Protecting people from being charged high prices when they visit hospitals

covered by their health plan but are seen by a doctor not

covered by their plan (62%)

Repealing the entire health care law

(60%)

3 Protecting people from being charged high prices when

they visit hospitals covered by their health plan but are

seen by a doctor not covered by their plan

(56%)

Making financial help to purchase health insurance available to more people

(72%)

Making sure health plans have sufficient provider

networks (58%) **

Making information about the price of care more available to patients

(58%)

Repealing the individual mandate

(52%)

Kaiser Health Policy News Index: Summer 2015

40%

33%

33%

27%

18%

9%

6%

5%4%

39%

36%

36%

30%

34%

21%

12%

12%

10%

11%

17%

17%

19%

24%

27%

21%

20%

22%

9%

13%

13%

24%

24%

43%

62%

61%

63%

Very closely Fairly closely Not too closely Not at all closely

A mass shooting at a historic Black church in Charleston, SC

The 2016 presidential campaigns

Conflicts involving ISIS in Iraq and Syria

Controversy about Planned Parenthood

Supreme Court Case about the health care law

Profits made by insurance companies

Expert panel’s recommendation for FDA to approve new choles-terol-lowering drugs

FDA approval of expensive new cholesterol-lowering drug

Percent who report following each news story…

50%NOTE: Don’t know/Refused responses not shown. Question and response wording abbreviated. See topline for full question wording.SOURCE: Select Findings from Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Polls conducted in early June, late June, and August 2015

Controversy over expensive new drug to treat hepatitis C

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

2%

23%

22%

16%

37%

Yes, take prescription medicine

54%

No, do not take prescrip-tion medicine

46%

Over Half Report Taking Prescription Drugs, Nearly 4 In 10 Of Them Say They Take Four Or MoreDo you currently take any prescription medicine or not? AMONG THE 54% WHO ARE CURRENTLY TAKING

PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE: How many different prescription drugs do you take?

Four or more

Three

Two

One

Don’t know/Refused

Most Of Those Currently Taking Prescription Medicine Say Affording Them Is Easy


In general, how easy or difficult is it for you to afford to pay the cost of your prescription medicine?

Percent who say they or a family member have had to do each of the following because of the cost, in the past 12 months:

Very easy45%

Somewhat easy27%

Somewhat diffi-cult16%

Very dif -

fi-cult8%

Don't have to pay (Vol.)

3%

Dk/Ref.1%

AMONG THOSE WHO ARE CURRENTLY TAKING PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE:

Not filled a pre-scription for a

medicine

Cut pills in half or skipped doses of

medicine

24%

19%

NOTE: All equally (Vol.) and Don’t know/Refused responses not shown.SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted August 6-11, 2015)

Financial Burden Of Health Care Costs Among Insured

The deductible you pay before insurance kicks in

Your health insurance premiums

Your prescription drugs

Your doctor visits

Some other health care cost

Paying for health care and health insurance is not a financial burden

17%

14%

11%

7%

3%

44%

AMONG INSURED: Thinking about your own health care costs, which of the following do you find to be the greatest financial burden?

NOTE: Some items asked of half sample. Don’t know/Refused responses not shown.SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted August 6-11, 2015)

Fewer Than Half The Public Views Drug Companies Favorably

Doctors

Food manufacturers

Banks

Airlines

Health insurance companies

Pharmaceutical or drug companies

Oil companies

43%

18%

17%

18%

14%

12%

13%

35%

40%

41%

37%

30%

30%

27%

11%

22%

20%

21%

25%

23%

25%

7%

12%

18%

13%

26%

30%

27%

Very favorable Somewhat favorable Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable

I am going to read you a list of companies and groups. For each one please tell me if you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of each.

50%

Do you think prescription drugs developed over the past 20 years have generally made the lives of people in the U.S. better, worse, or haven't they made much difference? Would you say a lot, or only a little?


A lot better42%

A little better19%

A little worse5%

A lot worse11%

Haven't made much difference

19%

Don't know/Refused

4%

Most Say Prescriptions Drugs Have Made Americans’ Lives Better

What’s Going On?

16%

21%

14%

38%

30%

27%

4+ Prescription Drugs 1-3 Prescription drugs

Percent of those who are currently taking prescription medicine who say…

...it is very or somewhat dif -ficult for them to afford to pay the cost of their pre-

scription medicine

…they or another family member have not filled a

prescription for a medicine in the past 12 months

…they or another family member have cut pills in half or skipped doses of medicine

in the past 12 months

17%

19%

15%

43%

37%

31%

Fair/Poor healthExcellent/Very good/Good health

Sick And High-Utilizers More Likely To Report Problems Affording Prescription Drugs


Health Status Prescription Drug Use

Don't know/

Re-fused

4%

Reasonable24%

Unreasonable72%

Most Say Costs Are Unreasonable And Prices Higher Than In Other Countries


In general, do you think people in this country pay higher or lower prices than people in Canada, Mexico, and Western Europe pay for the same prescription drug, or do you think they pay about the same amount?

In general, do you think the cost of prescription drugs is reasonable or unreasonable?

Pay higher prices74%

Dk/Ref.7%

Pay lower prices6%

Pay about the same amount

12%

Many Who Say Prescription Drug Costs Are Unreasonable Point To Drug Company Prices

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

Nei-ther/Some other issue (Vol.)

1%

Dk/Ref.3%

Both (Vol.)10%

Health insurance companies require people to pay

too much of the cost for drugs

10%

Pharmaceutical compa-nies set the drug prices too high

76%

AMONG THOSE WHO SAY THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IS UNREASONABLE: Do you think the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable more because…

Drug Company Profits Top List Of Public’s Views Of Factors Contributing To Drug Prices

Profits made by pharmaceutical companies

The cost of medical research

The cost of marketing and advertising

The cost of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies

77%

64%

54%

49%

13%

28%

34%

35%

6%

6%

9%

10%

Major factor Minor factor Not a factor

Next, I’m going to read you some factors that some people say contribute to the price of prescription drugs. For each, I’d like you to tell me if this is a major factor, a minor factor, or not a factor contributing to the price of prescription drugs.

NOTE: Don’t know/Refused responses not shown. SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted June 2-9, 2015)

74%

Dk/Ref.3%

23%

The Public’s Perception Of Drug Company Profits


Which statement comes closer to your own view?

Pharmaceutical companies are too concerned about

making profits, and not concerned enough about helping people

The balance of concern at

pharmaceutical companies between making profits and helping people is

about right

What Next?

Percent who say they favor each of the following and percent who say they think each would be effective in keeping prescription drug costs down:

Requiring drug companies to release information to the public on how they set their drug prices

Allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to get a lower price on medications for people on Medicare

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

Allowing Americans to buy prescription drugs imported from Canada

Encouraging people to buy lower cost drugs by requiring them to pay a higher share if they choose a similar, higher cost drug

86%

83%

76%

72%

48%

81%

72%

77%

74%

57%

Percent who think the following would be effective Percent who favor the following

Views On Favorability And Effectiveness Of Actions To Keep Drug Costs Down

NOTE: Items asked of half sample.SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted August 6-11, 2015)

August 2015June 2015April 2009December 2008

83%87%86%

90%

Views Toward Drug Proposals Hold Steady Over Time

NOTE: Question wording varies slightly. See full toplines for full question wording.SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Polls; Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health The Public’s Health Care Agenda for the New President and Congress (conducted December 4-14, 2008)

August 2015December 2008

72%69%

I’m going to read actions some say would help keep prescription drug costs down. Please tell me whether you would favor or oppose each one. Would you favor or oppose…

…Allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to get a lower price on medications

for people on Medicare

…Allowing Americans to buy prescription drugs imported from

Canada

Dk/Ref.11%

Individuals should be required to cover the cost them-selves

17%

Insur-ance com-

panies should al-ways pay

for it37%

Dk/Ref.5%

7 In 10 Say Insurance Should Always Pay For High-Cost Drugs; 6 In 10 Say Companies Should Only Pay If Proven Effective

NOTE: Question wording abbreviated. See topline for full question wording. SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted June 2-9, 2015)

If a doctor recommends an expensive new drug to treat an illness when no lower-cost alternative exists, do you think…

Insurance companies should only pay if it has been proven to be more effective then existing treatments

58%

Health insurance should always pay for it, even if it eventually leads to higher premiums for everyone

71%

0.4

0.57

0.43

0.19

0.51

0.36

0.46

0.76

Regulation by the federal government Competition in the marketplace

NOTE: Both (Vol.), Neither (Vol.) and Don’t know/Refused responses not shown.SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (conducted August 6-11, 2015)

Public Has Preference For Marketplace Competition Over Government Regulation; Views Vary By PartisanshipWhich of the following do you think would do a better job at keeping prescription drug costs down...

Republicans

By Political Party ID

Total

Independents

Democrats

Thank you!

[email protected]@mollybrodie

dr. mollyann brodie: "what soaring drug prices mean for patients," 9.3.15

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