Public Attitudes Toward Prescription Drug Costs and Policy: KFF Poll Findings

Public concern regarding the affordability of prescription medications has reached a new peak, according to data from KFF. As of March 31, 2026, six in ten U.S. Adults report being worried about their ability to afford prescription drug costs, marking the highest level of concern since KFF began tracking this metric in 2018.

The financial strain on patients has led to significant changes in how medications are managed. Four in ten adults report taking cost-saving measures to handle these expenses, which include skipping doses or failing to fill prescriptions.

Impact of GLP-1 Medications on Affordability

The rise in the use of GLP-1 medications has contributed to growing cost concerns among the public. Approximately one in five adults have used a GLP-1 medication, and a majority of these users report that the drugs are difficult to afford, a sentiment that persists even for those who have health insurance.

Bipartisan Support for Price Regulation

There is widespread, cross-party agreement that the federal government should increase its oversight of drug pricing. A KFF Health Tracking Poll published on March 13, 2026, found that 72% of the public believe there is not as much government regulation as there should be to limit drug prices. This is contrasted by only 13% of respondents who believe there is too much regulation.

This demand for more regulation is shared across political lines, with at least two-thirds of voters in each major group favoring more government intervention: 77% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 68% of Republicans.

The Inflation Reduction Act and Medicare Awareness

Support remains high for specific policy solutions, including provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These provisions include limiting how much drug companies can increase prices based on annual inflation rates and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

Despite this support, awareness of these laws remains low among the general public. According to a September 2024 poll, only 27% of voters were aware of the federal law limiting out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients, and only 12% were aware of the law penalizing drug companies that increase prices faster than inflation.

Awareness is higher among those most affected by the laws. One-third (32%) of voters aged 65 and older have heard a lot or some about savings from Medicare drug negotiations, compared to 22% of voters under age 65. Among the broader voting population, 45% reported they had heard nothing at all about these savings.

Support for authorizing the federal government to negotiate drug prices is substantial, with 92% of Democrats, 89% of independent voters, and 77% of Republican voters in favor. Among adults aged 65 and older, support for this policy is 88%.

Expectations regarding the actual impact of these negotiations are more divided by political affiliation. While 55% of voters aged 65 and older believe Medicare negotiations will lower their own costs, 64% of older Democratic-leaning voters expect savings, whereas 52% of older Republican-leaning voters do not expect the negotiations to have any impact on their costs.

Launch of TrumpRx and Consumer Response

On February 5, 2026, the Trump administration launched TrumpRx, a website designed to allow consumers to search for discounts on brand-name drugs. A poll conducted after the launch found that 35% of people who take prescription drugs had heard at least some about the site.

Actual usage of the site is lower than general awareness. Seven percent of prescription drug users reported visiting the website to compare drug prices. However, usage is higher among specific patient groups, with 16% of those who take or have taken GLP-1 medications visiting the site.