Most Americans want government to cut drug costs, but don't know how, poll finds

A majority of Americans want Congress to pass legislation to lower drug costs, but don't know what measures should be taken to achieve that goal, a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found.

The poll, which was conducted in early October and included 1,205 adults across the political spectrum, found that support for a specific measure shifted when people were presented with different arguments.

For instance, 88 percent of people said they support government negotiations with drugmakers to reduce prices paid by Medicare and private insurers when they were told negotiations could help save money on their medicines.

After hearing the argument that negotiations could limit access to new prescription drugs, 65 percent of people said they opposed negotiations.

Large majorities of respondents also supported other proposals, including an annual limit on out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries, allowing drug importation from Canada and setting prices based on what other countries pay.

The poll comes as Congress grapples with several different proposals from Democrats and Republicans that contain differing ideas on how to reduce drug costs.

Last week, the Congressional Budget Office estimated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's bill, which includes several measures that had majority support in Kaiser's poll, would reduce Medicare spending by $345 billion between 2023 and 2029.

However, 47 percent of those polled say they believe impeachment talks will prevent Congress from making progress on drug costs.

Read the full report here.

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