ICYMI: New Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Medicare Drug Price Negotiation — and Republicans are Taking Note

Voters — including a majority of Trump supporters — demand action to lower drug prices as Big Pharma’s favorability plummets.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new poll released last week, conducted by Trump pollster Fabrizio Ward and commissioned by Arnold Ventures, reveals just how potent the issue of prescription drug pricing has become, not just with voters overall, but with an overwhelming percentage of Trump voters. The poll’s most striking results concern the near-universal support for expanding Medicare negotiation to include all drugs and the political benefit of adopting a position in support of lowering drug prices.

“This poll confirms what patients already know: disease knows no political affiliation — and neither does the crisis of high drug prices,” said Merith Basey, Executive Director of Patients For Affordable Drugs. “This issue cuts across party lines, age, race, and income. When 67% of voters — including 66% of Trump voters — say Medicare should be negotiating for all drugs right now, and nearly three in four voters say it’s very important for Trump to defend the negotiation program, it’s clear: this isn’t just good policy — it’s good politics. People are demanding action, and it’s time leaders on both sides of the aisle take further action to deliver the lower prices Americans deserve and prevent Big Pharma and its lobbyists from calling the shots.”

Here are the poll’s key takeaways:

Trump Republicans Overwhelmingly Support Medicare Negotiation

• 72% of Trump voters say it’s very important for the government to negotiate lower drug prices.
• 71% of Trump voters prefer negotiation over Medicare cuts.
• Support for negotiation among Trump voters isn’t just ideological — it’s practical: 54% say they or someone in their household struggled to afford prescriptions in the past year, or decided to either stretch or not buy medication due to cost.

Real-World Struggles With High Drug Prices Are Driving Support Across the Board

• 57% of voters overall report having had difficulty affording prescription drugs in the past 12 months, or say they had to stretch or skip medications due to cost.
• More than three-quarters of voters say it is very important for Congress to take action to lower drug prices.
• A strong majority recognize Americans pay more for prescription drugs than people in other countries — and believe it’s important that we pay the same price.

All Voters Overwhelmingly Support Expanding Medicare Negotiation To All Drugs

• Nationally, 67% of voters support expanding Medicare negotiation to all prescription drugs — including 66% of Trump voters and 74% of Harris voters.
• 75% of Trump voters support capping drug price increases to the rate of inflation — showing strong bipartisan consensus around fairness.

Medicare Negotiation and Big Pharma Opposition Are Political Winners

• The poll shows a 20-point Republican gain on the generic ballot when Republicans support Medicare negotiation — reshaping the political calculus on the right.
• 89% of Trump voters say drug prices are too high.
• 78% of voters nationally describe the prescription drug industry as being primarily focused on making profits, compared to just 10% who say it makes a positive difference in people’s lives.
• 60% of voters, including conservatives, blame high prices on pharmaceutical profiteering.
• Net favorability for Big Pharma is -43 among Trump voters, while Medicare enjoys a +23 favorability rating among Trump voters.

###

Patients For Affordable Drugs is the only national patient advocacy organization focused exclusively on policies that lower prescription drug prices. We empower and mobilize patients by amplifying their experiences with high drug prices to hold those in power to account and fight to shape and achieve system-changing policies that make prescription drugs affordable for all people in the United States. P4AD does not accept funding from organizations that profit from the development and distribution of drugs. To learn more, visit PatientsForAffordableDrugs.org.