Consumers won't let insurance companies off the hook for high healthcare costs, according to a new poll from Morning Consult.
"Drug costs are the fastest rising part of the health system right now, but over the last decade hospitals and physicians have contributed much more to rising health costs than drug companies," Kaiser Family Foundation senior vice president Larry Levitt told Morning Consult when asked about poll results.
Recent price gouging controversies and the arrest of Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli has certainly sparked outrage against drug companies over the last several months. Insurance companies have also endured media scrutiny as the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission continue to block and investigate proposed payer mergers. But when it comes down to it, 20 percent of insured Americans have problems affording their insurance plans, according to Kaiser and New York Times.
"People generally have a conflicted view of drug companies," said Mr. Levitt. "People are worried about high drug prices but they also recognize that pharmaceutical companies make products that keep them healthy and in some cases save their lives. So, people are possibly more likely to blame insurers for rising health costs."
Washington-based Morning Consult polled a national sample of 1,272 registered voters in mid December 2015. Below are three takeaways:
1. Nearly a third of poll respondents said health insurance companies are to blame for rising healthcare costs over the past decade.
2. Around 13 percent believe pharmaceutical companies are driving healthcare cost upward..
3. A quarter of poll respondents hold the government responsible for high healthcare costs.