Public Opinion on Prescription Drugs and Their Prices
Ashley Kirzinger Alex Montero Grace Sparks Isabelle Valdes Liz Hamel Published:
This chart collection draws on recent KFF poll findings to provide an in-depth look at the public's attitudes toward prescription drugs and their prices. Results include Americans' opinions on drug affordability, pharmaceutical companies, and various potential measures that could lower prices.
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KFF
This chart collection was updated on Aug. 21, 2023, to include the latest KFF polling data. An additional update was made to figure 1 on Aug. 29, 2023 to correctly show July 2023 data.

KFF research has consistently found prescription drug costs to be an important health policy area of public interest and public concern. Below are some key findings on the public’s experience with and perceptions of prescription drugs and their prices.

About six in ten adults say they are currently taking at least one prescription drug and a quarter say they currently take four or more prescription medications.

While about eight in ten adults (82%) say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable, most say affording prescriptions is either “very” or “somewhat easy” (65%).

Affordability is a bigger issue for those who are currently taking four or more prescription medicines. Nearly four in ten of those taking four or more prescription drugs say they have difficulty affording their prescriptions (37%), compared to one in five adults who currently take three or fewer prescription medications (18%). Individuals with annual household income of less than $40,000 are also more likely than adults with higher incomes to report difficulty affording their prescription medications.

About three in ten adults report not taking their medicines as prescribed at some point in the past year because of the cost. This includes about one in five who report they have not filled a prescription or took an over-the counter drug instead (21%), and 12% who say they have cut pills in half or skipped a dose because of the cost.

The share who report not filling a prescription, taking an over-the-counter drug instead, or cutting pills in half or skipping doses increases to four in ten among adult ages 18-29 (40%), Hispanic adults (39%), those taking four or more prescription drugs (37%), and those living in households with an annual income of less than $40,000 annually (37%).

The public sees profits made by pharmaceutical companies as the largest factor contributing to the price of prescription drugs. At least eight in ten across partisans say profits made by pharmaceutical companies are a “major factor” in the price of prescription drugs. This is followed by more than half who say the cost of research and development is a “major factor” contributing to the price, and about half saying that the cost of marketing and advertising is a major contributing factor to the cost of prescription drugs.

The July 2023 KFF Tracking Poll finds three in four adults saying there is “not as much regulation as there should be” when it comes to limiting the price of prescription drugs. Majorities across partisans, including eight in ten Democrats (82%), and about two-thirds of Republicans (68%) and independents (67%) say there is “not as much regulation as there should be” when it comes to limiting the price of prescription drugs.

KFF polling also finds that when it comes to lowering the cost of prescription drugs, majorities of partisans trust their own party to do a better job on this issue. Independents are more likely to trust the Democratic Party than the Republican Party to do a better job of lowering the price of prescription drugs.

Despite this, neither party in Congress has gained the full confidence of the public to do what’s right for the country on prescription drug pricing. Slightly less than half of the public say they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence in President Biden (46%) or Democrats in Congress (48%) to recommend the right thing for the country on prescription drug prices. One-third of the public (33%) say they have at least a fair amount of confidence in Republicans in Congress and few are confident that pharmaceutical companies will recommend the right thing (14%).

Half of adults are confident in AARP’s ability to recommend the right thing for the country on prescription drug pricing. AARP is a non-partisan interest group focusing on the issues that impact adults over the age of 50 that has strongly advocated for Medicare drug negotiations.

KFF has been asking about various proposals aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs for decades. Majorities, across partisans, support a wide range of proposals including most notably – allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to get a lower price on medications. Majorities also favor increasing taxes on drug companies that refuse to negotiate the price of their drugs with the government, limiting how much drug companies can increase the price of drugs based on annual inflation rates, allowing Americans to buy drugs imported from Canada, and making it easier for generic drugs to come to market.

Support for these policies does range slightly among partisans and after hearing arguments in favor or against each proposal.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, includes several provisions aimed at lowering prescription drug costs for adults in Medicare. At least eight in ten adults support each of the law’s provisions related to Medicare prescription drug costs, including majorities across partisans.

While large majorities of adults say they support the IRA’s Medicare provisions, few are aware that these provisions are currently law. Adults ages 65 and older are more likely than younger adults to be aware of some of the IRA’s Medicare provisions, however a majority are still unaware that these provisions are currently in place.

While the public still has concerns about costs and supports policies aimed at curbing prescription drug prices, the public generally sees the benefits of prescription medicines as more than six in ten adults believe prescription drugs developed over the past 20 years have generally made the lives of people in the U.S. better.