Democrats Must Act on Prescription Drug Reform — And Voters Agree
By Marcela Mulholland and Carly Berke
The United States has some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world, a problem only getting worse as seniors struggle with rising costs. Tonight, Senate Democrats indicated they are moving forward with negotiating a deal on prescription drug pricing reform. On average, Americans pay four times more for prescription drugs than other countries. 18 million Americans can’t afford the medication they need. And for many seniors — a critical voting bloc Democrats will need to win this November — that problem is compounded: fixed income programs like Social Security have not kept up with rising prices and inflation, which can force seniors to take drastic and life-threatening measures like skipping medication doses, cutting pills, sharing insulin, and more.
Quite simply, prescription drug reform is one of the most effective and important issues Democrats can act on ahead of November — which is why Senator Schumer’s push should be both applauded and heeded by Democrats. It is also incredibly popular with the American electorate.
In a poll of national voters conducted between April 20th and 24th with Invest in America, we find that voters support negotiating lower prices for prescription drugs by a +75 point margin. Eighty three percent of national likely voters support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs. This included support from 86 percent of Democrats (a +81 point margin), 81 percent of Independents (a +74-point-margin), and, perhaps most critically, 81 percent of Republican voters (a +71-point-margin).
This support has been consistent in previous polling conducted by Data for Progress: a February 2022 poll found similar levels of bipartisan support, as did polling from 2021 that surveyed voter support in all 50 states. That’s not to mention that numerous polling firms have found similarly high levels of bipartisan support for price negotiation. Recent polling has also revealed that voters over the age of 65 would be more likely to vote for a candidate who favors allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs.
As Democrats inch closer to the November midterm elections, stalling healthcare reforms will only hurt Democrats’ chance at reelection. Voters need to see that Democrats are fighting to reduce prices and lower costs for Americans, especially as inflation deepens the cost burden on families for basic goods and services.
That's why it’s critical that Democrats move forward with legislation that will lower the price of prescription drug. Dems should act swiftly to pass a reconciliation framework that includes provisions to allow Medicare to negotiate the cost of drug prices.
Marcela Mulholland (@MarcelaMulh) is the Political Director at Data for Progress.
Carly Berke (@carlyberke) is the Strategic Partnerships Coordinator at Data for Progress.