Millions of deaths are the result of high drug prices

(Dan, Research Director, Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index, Omaha, Nebraska, “Millions in U.S. Lost Someone Who Couldn't Afford Treatment,” Gallup, management consulting company, , Shah – WH)

Dovetailing with these results is a rising percentage of adults who report not having had enough money in the past 12 months to "pay for needed medicine or drugs that a doctor prescribed" to them. This percentage has increased significantly, from 18.9% in January 2019 to 22.9% in September. In all, the 22.9% represents about 58 million adults who experienced "medication insecurity," defined as the inability to pay for prescribed medication at least one time in the past 12 months. The increase reflects a marked rise among women of over five percentage points to 27.5%, widening the gender gap to over nine points when compared with the 18.1% rate for men. And while data among both political independents and Republicans are statistically unchanged since September, medication insecurity among Democrats has risen over six points to 27.7%.

Republicans See Much More Progress Than Others on Drug Costs

Against a backdrop of millions of Americans who know people who have died after not being able to afford needed treatment, and millions more recently experiencing medication insecurity personally, most respondents agree that U.S. consumers are paying too much for prescription drugs. Close to nine in 10 U.S. adults report that the costs of prescription drugs are "usually much higher" (69%) or "tend to be somewhat higher" (20%) than what consumers should be paying for them, compared with only 1% who believe them to be much or somewhat lower. These perceptions are shared by political and demographic subgroups, with only modest differences between groups in the percentage viewing drug prices as too high.

While perspectives on the price of medicine relative to what consumers should be spending are largely uniform, perspectives regarding President Donald Trump's success at curtailing rising drug prices are more divided along party lines. When asked, "How much progress has the Trump administration made to limit the rising cost of prescription drugs in the U.S.?" two-thirds of respondents -- split evenly -- report "not very much" progress or "none at all." But only 31% of Republicans express this sentiment, compared with 66% of independents and 96% of Democrats. Nearly nine out of 10 adults who disapprove of the job Trump is doing also report little to no progress.

Bottom Line

The substantial number of Americans who know someone who has died after not receiving treatment because of their inability to pay for it, coupled with the rise in the percentage who have not had enough money to pay for their prescriptions, underscores the urgency of the U.S. healthcare cost crisis. These realities starkly highlight the significant practical implications of drug prices on U.S. residents, as well as the effects of healthcare policy action -- or inaction.