In U.S., Most Say Reducing Cost of Care High Priority for Biden

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Seven in ten (70%) U.S. adults say lowering health insurance premiums should be a high priority for President Joe Biden and his administration among key healthcare issues, followed closely by lowering drug costs (66%) and reducing the uninsured rate (63%). These results are based on a new study conducted by West Health and Gallup.

	Total	Democrat	Independent	Republican
	%	%	%	%
Lower health insurance premiums	70	79	71	61
Lower drug costs	66	72	65	62
Reduce uninsured rate	63	90	60	30
Expand care for older adults	58	65	56	49
Expand child-care for working parents	55	73	53	32
West Health-Gallup Healthcare Survey, Dec. 14, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; n=3,100
Gallup Panel

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to prioritize lowering health insurance premiums and the cost of prescription drugs, but majorities of both groups agree these cost reduction goals are high priorities. In contrast, 90% of Democrats (and 60% of independents) but only 30% of Republicans regard reducing the uninsured rate as a high priority. These results come at a time when 26% of adults report there has been at least one time in the prior 12 months that someone in their household did not pursue care due to the cost, matching levels measured in early 2019.

This survey was conducted by web from Dec. 15, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021, with 3,100 adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia via the Gallup Panel, a scientifically populated, non-opt-in panel of about 110,000 adults nationwide.

Reducing prescription drug prices is a higher priority among older than younger age groups, dropping from 74% among those 65 years or older to 57% among those under the age of 30.

Optimism for New Policies Greatest Among Democrats, Women, Minorities

While the cost of healthcare continues to be of high importance to Americans, 28% are optimistic that the Biden administration and new Congress will be able to enact policies that will successfully reduce costs, while 49% are pessimistic. Similar results are found for policies relating to lowering the costs of prescription drugs, underscoring a public sentiment that is more doubtful than hopeful and the challenges that lie ahead for the Biden administration.

	Reduce cost of healthcare	Reduce cost of prescription drugs
	%	%
Optimistic	28	27
Neutral	22	25
Pessimistic	49	48
Net Difference	-21	-21
West Health-Gallup Healthcare Survey, Dec. 14 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; n=3,100
Gallup Panel

These sentiments are not uniform, however. At the time of the survey, conducted immediately prior to Democrats winning both Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections, about half of Democrats were optimistic about Biden achieving both cost reduction goals, compared with about two in 10 independents and less than 5% of Republicans. These responses may be somewhat different now that the Democrats have retaken the Senate, giving them control -- albeit narrowly -- of both chambers of Congress.

Optimism that the costs of healthcare will be reduced among Black (41%) and Hispanic (38%) respondents outpaces that of White respondents (24%). Also, over one-third (35%) of women are optimistic compared with 21% of men. Optimism is also higher among Americans with more formal education than among those with less.

	Reduce Cost of Healthcare	Reduce Cost of Prescription Drugs
	%	%
U.S. Total	28	27
POLITICAL IDENTITY:
Democrat	52	50
Independent	22	20
Republican	3	4
RACE/ETHNICITY:
Black adults	41	43
Hispanic adults	38	33
White adults	24	23
GENDER:
Female	35	33
Male	21	21
EDUCATION:
Grad School Degree or Education	36	34
College Degree	32	27
Some College/Technical School	29	28
High School Degree or Less	24	23
West Health-Gallup Healthcare Survey, Dec. 14, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; n=3,100
Gallup Panel

Most See Country Moving in Wrong Direction on Key Issues

Amid the muted confidence that the Biden administration and Congress will make substantive inroads into the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, few Americans view the country as moving in the right direction across an array of topical issues.

Leading this list is the cost of healthcare, viewed by 8% of U.S. adults as moving in the "right direction" compared with 70% who believe it is moving in the "wrong direction," including 65% of Republicans and 73% of Democrats.

The cost of prescription drugs, in turn, is viewed similarly unenthusiastically, with 12% reporting that the country is headed in the right direction compared with 68% saying it's going in the wrong direction. A somewhat greater partisan divide is found here, with 22% of Republicans reporting that the country is heading in the right direction compared with 10% of Independents and 8% of Democrats.

The issue with the least negative perception is the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, which -- despite a massive increase nationally in confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths since November 1 -- is possibly being bolstered by the release and early-stage administration of vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. In this case, 27% of U.S. adults feel the country is moving in the right direction. Still, 53% think it is moving in the wrong direction.

	U.S. total	Democrat	Independent	Republican
	%	%	%	%
The cost of healthcare	8	8	5	12
The cost of prescription drugs	12	8	10	22
Offering high quality K-12 education	14	14	11	17
Climate change	15	12	12	23
Immigration reform	18	11	13	32
The economy	23	15	20	39
Managing the COVID-19 pandemic	27	28	21	34
West Health-Gallup Healthcare Survey, Dec. 14, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; n=3,100
Gallup Panel

Implications

As the Biden administration prioritizes its policy goals for its first 100 days, the importance of the cost of healthcare to Americans remains substantial. Research conducted by West Health and Gallup that preceded the election showed that the cost of care was considered as important as the pandemic itself in how U.S. adults intended to cast their votes, highlighting how this issue has remained critical in the minds of voters. And then-candidate Biden's trust advantage over then-President Donald Trump in managing the healthcare system amid the pandemic likely played a role in his election victory.

With at least two-thirds of respondents currently citing the reduction in health insurance premiums and the reduction of prescription drug costs as having either high or the highest priority for the Biden administration, these issues will continue to play a major role in the minds of voters as the 2022 midterm elections approach. And making real, tangible and noticeable inroads into the cost of care in the U.S. is likely to be a decisive factor in the voting decisions of many Americans.

Against this backdrop, optimism is mixed that the rising costs of healthcare and prescription drugs will be curtailed in the near future, although it is somewhat higher among Democrats (and is potentially higher now since Democrats won control of the Senate in the time since the survey was conducted). And with such a substantial number believing that the country is moving in the wrong direction across the cost of care issues, elected officials throughout the federal government will be challenged to prove them wrong.

Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.