New Poll Suggests Americans Want Congress to Prioritize Healthcare Reforms

WASHINGTON – New polling data conducted by Hart Research on behalf of Protect Our Care, a health care advocacy organization, shows that Americans across party lines support healt hcare reforms as the top priority for the Biden administration. The same poll also shows that voters support lowering health insurance premiums and making health care more affordable for more Americans.  

The new poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates on January 25-27, asked 1,201 Americans to name their top three priorities out of a list of nine possible priorities for Congress and the Biden administration.  

According to the poll’s report, 65% of Americans selected health care affordability as their top priority, significantly more than any other issue. Democratic and Republican voters mutually agreed that lowering costs in health care and prescription drugs, as well as making health insurance plans more affordable, should be among the top priorities for Congress.  

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing health care is not the only bipartisan agreement among voters. According to the poll, voters support the following measures: 

• Stop excessive drug pricing by giving Medicare the power to negotiate with drug companies to lower the price of prescription medicines and making those lower drug prices available to both people on Medicare and those with private insurance (93% favor)  
• Give people more options for their health insurance and create more competition to reduce costs in health care, by establishing new affordable public health insurance options as an alternative to private health insurance (83% favor)  
• Allow people to buy into Medicare at age 55 or 60 if they no longer have access to coverage through an employer (80% favor) 
• Make health insurance more affordable by expanding tax credits and financial assistance to offset the cost of premiums (79% favor)  
• Address racial inequities in our health care system by funding improvements in access and treatment in minority communities and increasing funding for maternal and infant healthcare (72% favor)  
• Expand access to affordable health care for over six million Americans by increasing the number of people who are covered by Medicaid (68% favor) 

“Today’s poll shows voters across party lines want measures to make health care more affordable … to be at the very top of the agenda for President Biden and Congress, with 65% of voters choosing health care affordability as one of their top priorities,” said Hart Research President Geoff Garin of the poll’s findings.  

Garin continued, “Outside of Washington, D.C., the country is unified in their support of the American Rescue plan and the type of solutions needed to deliver health care to more Americans.  

“They want policies that will reduce the cost of health care. Voters want Democrats to do the most good for the most people on health care — even if Republicans in Congress refuse to get on board.”  

“Voters chose Democrats because they wanted change from the Trump-Republican health care sabotage agenda. Americans want a plan to battle the pandemic, relief to address the economic fallout, and to build on the strong foundation of the Affordable Care Act,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse.

“Today’s poll shows a clear mandate for Democrats in Congress to work with President Biden to accomplish those goals. Republicans already lost the White House and Congress, and they ignore Americans’ clear desire for health care reform at their own peril.” 

“For the first time in a decade, with President Biden in the White House and Democrats in control of Congress, we can lower health care costs, increase coverage, and improve care for millions of Americans,” stated Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach in a public statement. 

The full report from Protect Our Care can be read online. A supplemental agenda report of Protect Our Care’s recommendations for Congress can also be read for more details.