CSRXP SENATE BATTLEGROUND POLL: VOTERS BACK GRASSLEY-WYDEN, DEMAND ACTION TO HOLD BIG PHARMA ACCOUNTABLE

Nov 22, 2019

Survey Finds Overwhelming Majorities of Swing State Voters Blame Drug Makers for Rising Prices and Want Congress to Pass Bipartisan Reforms Before Year End

Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) released a statement Friday on a new survey conducted in five top 2020 Senate battleground states that found an overwhelming majority of voters hold Big Pharma responsible for out-of-control prescription drug prices and want Congress to pass bipartisan reforms before the end of the year. The survey, commissioned by CSRxP and conducted by Morning Consult, surveyed voters in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa and Maine.

“Voters in key Senate battlegrounds are demanding urgent action from their elected leaders in Congress to hold Big Pharma accountable and lower prescription drug prices,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “There is overwhelming support, across every ideological and party affiliation, for bipartisan solutions that will disincentivize Big Pharma’s price-gouging, keep price hikes below the rate of inflation, cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors, increase competition and boost transparency.”

“Voters rightly hold Big Pharma accountable for the out-of-control prices of prescription drugs,” Aronson continued. “They are watching closely to see if their elected leaders summon the political courage to deliver results for American patients by backing reforms to hold drug makers accountable and lower prices before year end.”

Key takeaways from the CSRxP Senate Battleground Survey include:

A Decisive Majority of Voters Hold Big Pharma Responsible for Out-of-Control Prices

  • 70 Percent: On average across the five states, more than 70 percent of survey respondents lay blame for “the rising price of prescription drugs” at the feet of pharmaceutical companies.
Voters Overwhelmingly Agree Drug Prices are a Top Priority Issue
  • 92 Percent: Nearly 92 percent of Senate battleground voters view prescription drug prices as “very important” or “somewhat important” among every issue confronting Americans.
Massive Majorities Support Grassley-Wyden and Want the Senate to Pass Those Reforms
  • 70 Percent: Approaching 70 percent of voters in key Senate battleground states support The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 – compared to just 4.8 percent who oppose it. That includes more than 70 percent of voters across every ideology (72.2 percent of conservatives, 70.4 percent of moderates and 82.8 percent of liberals).
  • 90 to 2: By a whopping 90 to 2 percent margin, voters believe that if the House passes legislation that includes measures also contained in Grassley-Wyden, to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable, cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors and keep price increases below the rate of inflation — that the Senate must follow suit. That includes 92.2 percent of Democrats and 94.2 percent of Republicans who support Senate action on these reforms.
Voters Want Congress to Pass Bipartisan Reforms Now, Before Year End
  • 61-Points: By a nearly 61-point margin, battleground state voters believe Congress should pass bipartisan drug pricing reforms before the end of the year.
  • More Than 3 in 4: More than 76 percent of battleground state voters want their elected leaders to work across party lines to achieve bipartisan solutions, rather than work on reforms that draw support only from their party.

Morning Consult’s summary of the survey can be found HERE.

Read more on the unprecedented momentum for drug pricing action in Congress and measures with significant bipartisan support HERE.

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