Article Summary –
President Biden’s messaging about lowering prescription drug costs through the Inflation Reduction Act is reaching more people, although most voters are still unaware of key provisions, according to a KFF poll. Awareness is highest among voters aged 65 and above, with 52% aware of the law’s $35 cap on insulin for Medicare enrollees, while only 35% of all voters were aware. A majority of voters also support extending some of the act’s provisions to cover all adults with private insurance, but are generally pessimistic about what can be achieved in drug pricing by either candidate.
Biden’s Message on Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Resonates but Awareness Still Low, Poll Finds
President Biden’s message promoting the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for lowering prescription drug costs is slowly reaching more people, though many are still uninformed about its key provisions, states a recent poll by health policy research group KFF.
This Act is central to Biden’s reelection campaign, representing a significant achievement in reducing healthcare costs.
Highest awareness about the two-year-old IRA was found among voters aged 65 and above, a demographic primarily covered by Medicare and noted for high voting rates.
The KFF poll reported that 52% of older voters were aware of the IRA’s cap on insulin prices at $35 for Medicare beneficiaries, up from 44% in November. In contrast, only 35% of all voters were aware, though this was a rise from 28% in November.
Moreover, a requirement for federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients was known to 48% of older voters and about a third of all voters.
Although awareness of other Medicare drug pricing provisions within the IRA remains relatively unchanged among all voters, the poll observed increases in awareness among Democrats and older voters.
Although the overall low awareness presents challenges, the recent increase could be a positive sign that IRA’s successes are reaching certain audiences.
Biden’s proposals to extend the IRA’s drug provisions to all adults with private insurance, including insulin price capping and out-of-pocket prescription drug cost limits, gained bipartisan voter support.
However, voters remain generally sceptical about the impact each presidential candidate may have on drug pricing.
The poll showed a slight lean towards Biden among independent voters, with half believing his administration is likely to reduce prescription drug costs. In contrast, about 4 in 10 expected the same from former President Trump, the probable GOP nominee.
Neither candidate, however, held a clear lead on tackling high healthcare costs, with 38% and 36% of voters trusting Biden and Trump respectively.
This poll was conducted from April 23 – May 1 with a nationally representative sample of 1,479 U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is +/- 3 percentage points and +/- 4 percentage points for registered voters.
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