Editor's Note: This research was conducted in partnership with West Health, a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations focused on healthcare and aging.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nearly half of the U.S. public (46%) says the country is headed in the wrong direction when it comes to President-elect Donald Trump’s policies to lower the cost of healthcare, and about four in 10 say this for the cost of prescription drugs, according to a new West Health-Gallup survey. About three in 10 Americans say the country is headed in the right direction on either question, and about one in four say they are unsure about the future of healthcare policy under the new administration.
Levels of optimism about the direction of healthcare coming out of the 2024 national election fall largely along partisan lines, with Democrats overwhelmingly thinking future policy on health costs is headed in the wrong direction (84%), along with nearly half of independents (48%). Conversely, nearly three-quarters (73%) of Republicans think the country is headed in the right direction, followed by 24% of independents and 3% of Democrats. Attitudes about future policies aimed at the cost of prescription drugs are similarly colored by political affiliation.
The West Health-Gallup Postelection Healthcare Survey of 3,583 U.S. adults was fielded Nov. 11-18, 2024, via web using the Gallup Panel.
Half of Americans Pessimistic About New Administration’s Policies to Bring Down Healthcare and Drug Costs
When asked whether they are optimistic or pessimistic that the new Trump administration and Congress will enact policies to bring down the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs, Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic. Overall, 48% are pessimistic, while 32% are optimistic and one in five are “neutral.” For prescription drugs, 45% are pessimistic, 34% optimistic and 21% neutral.
Over half of independents (54%) report they are pessimistic about the new administration’s ability to enact policy that will reduce the cost of healthcare, and 49% are pessimistic that prescription drug costs will drop. About a quarter are either optimistic or neutral.
Optimism runs high among Republicans. More than three-quarters say they are optimistic that Trump and Congress can bring down the cost of healthcare (76%) and prescription drugs (78%), while most Democrats are pessimistic (88% and 85%, respectively).
About Six in 10 Americans Do Not Believe Trump Administration Will Prioritize Key Healthcare Issues
Majorities of Americans do not believe that the Trump administration will prioritize several specific healthcare issues during his second term. These include protecting Medicare and Social Security, increasing access to mental healthcare, lowering drug costs, capping the price of insulin, and expanding Medicare negotiation.
More than nine in 10 Democrats and at least six in 10 independents do not think the Trump administration will prioritize these issues, while large majorities of Republicans disagree.
Partisan Optimism Versus Pessimism About the Future of Access to Affordable Care Flipped After the Election
Just under four in 10 Americans say access to affordable healthcare (38%) and to affordable mental healthcare (38%) in the U.S. will improve in the next five years, while over 60% each say neither is likely to improve.
Americans’ overall pessimism about future access to affordable healthcare and mental healthcare is unchanged from September. Independents are only slightly more likely to lean pessimistic than they were before the election. Democrats' and Republicans' views have shifted significantly, however.
Before the election, 57% of Democrats believed access to affordable care was very or somewhat likely to improve in the next five years, compared with only about a third of Republicans. In the most recent poll, more than seven in 10 Republicans think access to affordable healthcare and mental healthcare is likely to improve, while one in 10 Democrats do.
Implications
The impending change in political leadership after the 2024 U.S. presidential election has greatly affected views on the future of healthcare access and affordability for Democrats and Republicans, but not political independents. The average U.S. adult is pessimistic about the new administration’s healthcare policies aimed at reducing cost.
Despite the political divide, Americans experience the consequences of a high-priced healthcare system in similar ways. Prior research shows that a third or more of Republicans, Democrats and independents are concerned that their household will be unable to pay for needed healthcare. Medicare availability is also a top concern, with 71% of Democrats, 66% of independents and 62% of Republicans under the age of 65 being worried or extremely worried that Medicare will no longer be available when they become eligible. And more than half of Democrats and Republicans alike reported that not enough attention was given to healthcare during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Americans are also aligned on many healthcare policy issues. For example, recent polling showed that both Republicans and Democrats agree that federal law should require health insurance companies to provide coverage for mental healthcare and substance-abuse treatment that is equal to what they provide for physical healthcare. More than eight in 10 Americans say they support expanding Medicare to include home care, including 95% of Democrats, 83% of independents and 77% of Republicans -- a proposal advanced by Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign.
Americans may be divided on who they believe will best lead the country toward an improved healthcare system, yet they remain united in their desire for better policies that tackle the challenge of affording and accessing needed care in the country today.
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