Democrats, Republicans and independents alike agree — making sure that high-cost drugs for chronic conditions are affordable to those who need them should be the top priority of the president and Congress, according to the April Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.
Kaiser conducted their poll between April 8 and April 14, collecting responses from more than 1,500 American adults. According to them, the top 10 priorities of the president and Congress should be:
- Ensuring the affordability of high-cost drugs for chronic conditions — including HIV, hepatitis, mental illness and cancer — for those who need them (76 percent)
- Lowering prescription drug prices using government action (60 percent)
- Protecting individuals from being charged high prices when they visit hospitals covered by their health plan but are seen by a physician not covered by their plan (56 percent)
- Making sure health plans have sufficient provider networks (55 percent)
- Making information about the price of physician visits, procedures and tests more available to patients (55 percent)
- Making information about what physicians and hospitals are covered under different health insurance plans more available (54 percent)
- Making information comparing the quality of healthcare provided by physicians and health insurance plans more available (54 percent)
- Changing current eligibility rules so that financial help under the healthcare law to purchase health insurance is available to more people (50 percent)
- Requiring all states to expand their Medicaid program to cover more low-income, uninsured adults (50 percent)
- Making the notes physicians take about patients routinely available to patients (45 percent)
To read the full list of priorities, click here.