Americans believe prescription drugs are improving their lives, but most also say that the drug industry cares more about profits than people, according to the latest Kaiser Health Poll Report issued by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Nearly eight in 10 (78%) adults say that prescription drugs have had a positive impact on the lives of Americans, and nine in 10 (91%) say that drug companies make an important contribution to society by researching and developing new drugs, the new survey finds based on February polling. However, seven in 10 (70%) say drug companies put profits ahead of people, compared with about a quarter (24%) who say drug companies are most concerned with developing new drugs that save lives and improve quality of life.
People also blame drug companies for rising health-care costs. Nearly six in 10 (59%) say prescription drugs increase overall medical costs because they are so expensive – compared with less than one in four (23%) who say drugs lower medical costs by reducing the need for expensive medical procedures and hospitalizations. These results are consistent with an earlier poll showing that people are now more likely to cite drug company profits as the major cause of rising health-care costs than any other cause – with 69% of people saying it is a “very important” factor, including 24% saying it is “the most important factor.” More people cited drug company profits as the most important factor than cited greed and waste in the health-care system (20%), the number of malpractice lawsuits (20%), the aging of the population (7%) or the use of expensive, high-tech medical equipment and treatments (7%).
“Rightly or wrongly, drug companies are now the number one villain in the public’s eye when it comes to rising health-care costs,” said Foundation President Drew E. Altman, Ph.D. “People want to rein in the cost of prescription drugs, and just about anything we poll on with that aim gets public support.”
Overall, one half (50%) of all Americans say they have an unfavorable view of drug companies, while 44% say they have a favorable opinion. Drug companies are viewed more favorably than oil companies (36% favorable) and tobacco companies (17%), but less than doctors (82% favorable), hospitals (78%) and banks (75%).
The survey’s other key findings include: