Nearly 73 percent of Americans say prescription drug prices are unreasonable, and pharmaceutical companies are to blame, according to a new poll.
The Kaiser Family Foundation released its tracking poll Tuesday that affirms prescription drug prices are quickly becoming a pressing issue for Americans.
Specialty drugs that cost thousands have garnered headlines over the past few years, most notably is new hepatitis C treatments from Gilead Sciences that can cost nearly $100,000 for an entire treatment course.
What is unique about this poll is who Americans blame. About three quarters of those who say costs are unreasonable say it is because pharmaceutical companies are setting the drug prices far too high. Just 10 percent believe it is more because insurance companies are requiring people to pay too much for the drugs.
Other potential factors cited in the poll are the cost of medical research and marketing. Pharmaceutical companies routinely cite the high cost of developing a drug as justification for higher prices.
Insurers don’t get unscathed in the poll, as seven in ten respondents say insurance should always pay for high-cost drugs. Several insurers are facing lawsuits from patients who are upset over the decision to deny coverage of new hepatitis C drugs.
Just over half of the respondents call on the federal government to step in and limit drug prices. There were 12 percent who responded there is too much regulation and that it is hampering drug prices.
Congress does not appear to have much of an appetite to address price caps. A provision in President Obama’s budget to allow the federal government to negotiate for drugs covered by federal programs has not advanced.
The tracking poll consisted of a telephone-based survey of 1,200 adults ages 18 and older and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
