Polls of American adults continue to show that a slight majority doesn’t favor the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Nonetheless, a solid majority wants Congress to act to replace insurance premium subsidies if the U.S. Supreme Court knocks them down.
The most recent sign of strong support for the premium subsidies that have been challenged in King v. Burwell comes from a Kaiser Family Foundation study.
The survey mixed questions about King v. Burwell with queries about prescription drug costs, as if perhaps the topics were related. Or maybe the King v. Burwell was an afterthought.
Armchair analysis aside, the survey also revealed an incredible level of ignorance about the court case among the masses (click Figure 1 below to enlarge):
Nearly half didn’t know a thing about the case, had never heard of it; 28 percent said it rang a bell; and the remaining 27 percent could speak with at least some clarity about the case.
Two-thirds of those who were told the case could end subsidies said Congress ought to fix it if that happens. Predictably, Democrats and Indies were the strongest supporters, with 49 percent of Republicans opposed to a fix, 38 percent supportive of one, and the rest just didn’t give a rip.
Moving on to the prescription drug portion of the report, three-quarters of those who take such medication say “it is easy to afford” it. About a quarter with a prescription in hand haven’t filled it because of the cost.
Despite the overwhelming response indicating folks can easily pay for their drugs, the public is still outraged at the cost, when asked if they are (click Figure 2 below to enlarge):
More than seven in 10 said they thought drug costs were “unreasonable,” and three-quarters of those blamed greedy drug companies that, they alleged, are artificially boosting prices. Only 10 percent blamed greedy insurance companies.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
