Yes on 61 on Kaiser Study: Americans Say High Drug Costs Are Top Health-Care Priority for New President and Congress

Kaiser Health Poll Reveals the Public’s Top-level Concern over
Drug Costs

SACRAMENTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The latest national Health Tracking Poll by the non-profit Kaiser Family
Foundation shows Americans rank addressing high prescription drug costs
as the top health-care priority for the next president and Congress. The
survey found that “Making sure high-cost drugs for chronic conditions,
such as HIV, hepatitis, mental illness and cancer, are affordable to
those who need them is viewed as a ‘top priority’ by 74 percent of the
public and majorities of individuals across party lines. In addition,
the majority of the public say government action to lower prescription
drug prices is a top priority.” These two issues ranked as the top two
concerns. To read the full poll click HERE.

The reason the American public says drug costs are its top concern is
further evidenced by the 2017 Segal
Health Plan Cost Trend Survey released yesterday. Segal
Consulting found that price inflation for prescription drugs is one of
the leading drivers of health-plan cost increases in 2017.

Reporting on the survey, the drug discount blog 340BInformed
wrote, “healthcare payers expect claims costs for specialty and biotech
drugs to rise by almost 20 percent next year…claims costs for
prescription drugs overall are expected to rise by 9.9 percent for
retirees 65 and older and by 11.6 percent for adults under 65…Growth in
claims costs for specialty and biotech drugs is expected to be almost
twice that, ‘an exceptionally high 18.7 percent.’ By comparison,
consumer prices rose just 1.5 percent during the 12 months that ended in
September 2016, according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

“While typically less than 1 percent of all medications are specialty
drugs…those drugs now account for 35 percent of total projected
prescription drugs cost trends for 2017,” Segal said in its report.
That’s up 10 percentage points in just two years, 340BInformed reported.

Proposition 61, the California Drug Price Relief Act, would require the
state of California to negotiate with drug companies for drug prices
that are no more than is paid for the same drugs by the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs (DVA). Prop. 61 empowers the state, as the
healthcare buyer for millions of Californians, to negotiate the same or
an even better deal for taxpayers, saving the state billions. The
measure is the only opportunity voters in California will have this year
to address the high cost of prescription drugs, and it is the only
drug-pricing measure on the ballot in the United States.

Prop. 61 has been endorsed by AARP, the California Nurses Association,
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and his new organization Our Revolution,
Consumer Watchdog, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, civil
rights and labor activist Dolores Huerta, the Rev. Al Sharpton, the
Urban League, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Campaign for a Healthy
California, Progressive Democrats of America, Social Security Works and
VoteVets Action Fund.

www.Yeson61.com

Paid for by Yes on Prop 61, Californians for Lower Drug Prices, With
Major Funding by AIDS Healthcare Foundation and California Nurses
Association PAC. FPPC ID#1376791

Contacts

Yes on Prop. 61
Roger Salazar, 916-284-1255
RSalazar@alzamedia.com