The majority of voters in a new poll, including those who voted for President Trump, say it is important for the government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies and that they prefer lower drug prices over cutting Medicaid.
According to a poll conducted by Fabrizio Ward and commissioned by Arnold Ventures, 88 percent of voters said it was fairly or very important for the government to negotiate with drug companies. The vast majority said it was important to some degree, with only 4 percent saying it was “not that important.”
Across different voting demographics, 86 percent of Trump voters said it was fairly or very important; 92 percent of former Vice President Kamala Harris voters said the same along with 87 percent of swing voters.
Roughly the same percentage of voters said it was important that Trump defend Medicare drug price negotiations in court, including 86 percent of Trump voters, 87 percent of Harris voters and 83 percent of swing voters.
The survey also found a strong opposition to Medicaid cuts, with 78 percent of respondents saying they’d prefer to pay for tax cuts with lower pharmaceutical costs and only 10 percent saying they would want Medicaid cuts.
Among Trump voters, 71 percent chose lower pharmaceutical costs and 16 percent chose cutting Medicaid. Harris voters significantly favored lower pharmaceutical costs, with 86 percent choosing this option and only 5 percent choosing Medicaid cuts.
“Drug prices are too high. This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue; voters across the political spectrum are saying enough is enough,” Mark E. Miller, executive vice president of health care at Arnold Ventures, said in a statement.
“Congress and the administration must protect and build on Medicare negotiations, as well as take on additional solutions to lower costs, help consumers, and offer significant savings for Americans,” he continued.
Pollsters interviewed 1,000 voters in targeted congressional districts, which they defined as the 18 districts rated to be “toss-ups” by the Cook Political Report as of March 18.
Most voters in the swing districts said they preferred lowered pharmaceutical costs to pay for tax cuts, for the government to negotiate with drugmakers and for Trump to protect Medicare negotiations.
When House Republicans return from recess next week, they will have to grapple with how to find $1.5 trillion in budget cuts to implement Trump’s policy agenda, including $880 million that will likely include changes to Medicaid. A dozen Republican lawmakers in swing districts have come forward saying they won’t support legislation that cuts into Medicaid.
Fabrizio Ward interviewed 1,000 registered voters nationwide along with the 1,000 registered voters in the targeted districts March 19-24. The results of the survey have a sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
