Voters Tell Pollster Out-of-Pocket Costs and Limits of Coverage Most Concerning Issue
Majority Agree Rep. Marilyn Strickland on Right Track with Bipartisan, Fiscally Responsible Approach
Most voters in the district represented by Rep. Marilyn Strickland support fiscal responsibility and want Congress to take a bipartisan approach. Fifty-seven percent believe members of Congress need to work across the aisle to deliver results for their constituents versus 37% who believe it is more important to advance bold and progressive reforms to health care than working across the aisle.
Additionally, as policymakers in D.C. consider health care reforms and drug pricing policies, voters in Washington’s 10th Congressional District want to keep patient protections in Medicare and see something done about out-of-pocket costs and the scarcity of quality health care coverage, a recent poll found.
Prior to being elected to the House in 2020, Strickland served as mayor of Tacoma for eight years, during which time she firmly established her centrist credentials while pursuing a pro-business agenda.
Embrace Fiscal Responsibility
While survey participants identified the coronavirus (38%) and the economy/jobs (30%) as the most important issues that need to be addressed, they also said they want policymakers to take a fiscally responsible approach to doing so.
The majority (52%) believe that the federal government needs to spend responsibly to keep the national debt and inflation in check versus 44% who believe that the federal government should spend as much as it takes to help the post-pandemic economic recovery.
Respondents prioritized federal spending on investments to rebuilding roads, bridges and other traditional infrastructure (24%), addressing climate change through investments in energy projects (17%) and delivering clean drinking water, a renewed electric grid and high-speed broadband (16%).
Address the Real Health Care Concerns
Cost is the dominant issue in health care for voters in the10th Congressional District.
Voters want Congress to focus on what matters most to them – reducing what they pay for health care. Sixty six percent say Congress should focus on reducing the overall costs of health care such as premiums, deductibles, and copays and 30% say that Congress should focus more on reducing the costs of prescription drugs.
Access and Affordability
Voters in WA-10 agree with Strickland about the importance of affordable health care.
- Nine in ten (90%) voters agree that “healthcare is a human right.” Americans deserve accessible, affordable, reliable healthcare;
- More than six in ten (62%) voters say that ensuring “every person who is a resident of the United States gets access to affordable health care that is equitable and transparent” is a top priority;
- Voters in the district also want to strengthen protections and expand access to coverage and care;
- 95% say that strengthening protections for people with pre-existing conditions is important;
- 86% say that it’s important to expand access to coverage and care;
- Two thirds of voters (65%) have a favorable opinion of the Affordable Care Act.
Protect Medicare Patients
Voters lean towards protecting Medicare and away from repealing patient protections in the Medicare law.
Seventy-four percent agree that the federal government shouldn’t be interfering with what medicines are available to people with Medicare and that there are better ways to lower what seniors pay for medicine.
Seventy-three percent agree that it’s not okay to use formulas that calculate the value of human life because it could lead to government discrimination against certain people. They agree that there should not be discrimination against older people or those with disabilities and that their lives are not worth less.
Advance Bipartisan, Patient Centric Solutions
More than nine in ten (93%) voters agree that members of Congress should work together, regardless of political party to improve health care. They believe only bipartisan solutions will garner enough support to ensure patients are able to afford their medicine at the pharmacy counter.
Voters overwhelmingly agree (92%) that we need to focus on results – not rhetoric – that leads to incremental changes to the health care system, rather than empty promises that will never get passed.
Voters also indicated they want patient centric solutions that will lower the cost of health care.
Ninety percent agree that health legislation that Congress pursues should make patient affordability the number one goal, whether it’s the cost of [insurance] premiums and copays, price of medicines, or expense of care.
Value Innovation
The survey found voters in Washington’s 10th Congressional District value the United States’ partnership between the government and the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
- 82% of voters think that pharmaceutical companies played an important role in responding to the pandemic;
- 86% agree that health care reform must enhance the United States’ innovation ecosystem that delivers treatments and cures when they are needed most, as we’ve seen through the COVID-19 pandemic.
About The Poll
The poll was conducted by telephone (both landline and cell phones) between August 24-31 with a sample size of 400 likely 2022 voters in Washington’s 10th Congressional District with a margin of error of +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level. The survey was conducted by Center Forward, a Washington-based group dedicated to finding common ground and pragmatic solutions to the challenges facing the American people, in partnership with Luce Research.
Disclosure: The Well News is partially owned by Cori Kramer, the executive director of Center Forward.
