3 things voters are concerned about when it comes to their health care coverage

A recent Ipsos/PhRMA survey of more than 2,500 registered voters paints a clear picture of health care issues that keep them up at night: insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs. Voters voice challenges affording the out-of-pocket costs set by their health insurance plans, and their concerns grow once they learn more about how insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) impact health care access and affordability.

Here are three things you should know:

1. Health insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs are a top health care issue among registered voters.

• Three in five voters (58%) are concerned about their ability to afford out-of-pocket health care costs, including copays, deductibles, etc.
• Nearly half of voters (46%) agree they are afraid that if they face a major health event or emergency, their insurance would not cover their medical needs.

2. Americans are concerned with how health insurers and PBMs affect patient access and affordability.

• Most registered voters (67%) agree that health insurers intentionally make coverage benefits complicated so that they can increase their bottom line. More registered Democrats than Republican voters feel this way (72% vs. 61%).
• Eighty-four percent agree that Congress should focus on cracking down on abusive health insurance practices that make it harder for people to get the care they need.

3. More than 80% of registered voters expressed support for policy solutions that ensure greater accountability from health insurance companies and PBMs.

• Eighty-one percent of voters are concerned that just three PBMs control 80% of the market, with the same share of voters (81%) also concerned when told that PBMs are administrators, not doctors, yet they determine what medicines are covered by insurance and what people pay for them.
• And most registered voters (83%) support requiring health insurers and PBMs to share more of the rebates and discounts they receive directly with patients, so they pay less for their medicines.

Voters are clear – it’s time for policymakers to put patients first by improving coverage. We need insurers and their PBMs to improve the transparency and predictability of health care costs and we need to require discounts on medicines to be shared directly with patients at the pharmacy counter. Read about our patient-centered solutions aimed to improve the health care system at PhRMA.org/BetterWay.

The poll was conducted among 2,514 American adults using Ipsos’ probability based KnowledgePanel®, and it is representative of the American adult population. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults.

Read more about how voters prioritize improving coverage over harmful price setting policies on past Ipsos/PhRMA poll releases click here and here.