On healthcare costs: In Minnesota, Republicans and Democrats agree on proposals to lower prices, expand coverage

With healthcare costs continuing to rank among Americans’ top concerns, a new survey conducted in Minnesota reveals common ground between Democrats and Republicans on proposals to reduce costs and increase access to health insurance.
 
Proposals for making drugs more affordable are supported by large majorities of Democrats and Republicans, including:
• capping the price of prescription drugs to the price they are sold for in other developed countries
• reforming patenting laws to bring more generic drugs on to the market
 
To increase access to health insurance, a large bipartisan majority favors restoring the recently expired enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, which will lower the cost of insurance.
 
While Congress has scheduled reductions in future Medicaid spending, the surveys find little public support for this – less than one in four Democrats or Republicans. Instead, a large bipartisan majority favors actually increasing spending on Medicaid to provide coverage to more low-income households.
 
The surveys find strong bipartisan majority support for expanding government insurance options, including:
• allowing people 55-64 to purchase a Medicare plan
• creating a government-run health insurance plan that anyone can buy into (i.e., a public option)
 
For treatment of substance use disorder, a bipartisan majority favors the government investing billions of dollars more to help ensure access for all who need and want it.
 
These policies are derived from recent or existing Congressional legislation or White House proposals.
 
Steven Kull, Director of the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC), noted, “Minnesotans are supportive of the federal government using many more tools to ensure access to healthcare. While political debate often emphasizes partisan disagreement, these surveys reveal substantial agreement on a number of specific policy solutions.”
 
Common ground in the battlegrounds?
This survey release is the third in the Common Ground in the Battlegrounds? survey series being conducted by the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) in the run-up to the November election in 11 competitive states and 28 competitive U.S. House districts.
 
Surveys on a total of 15 topics will be released on a rolling basis until the midterm elections, covering over 100 specific policy questions. The policies – most of which are pending in Congress – were chosen because surveys by PPC and others consistently found majority Republican and Democratic agreement nationally. The results for all individual states and districts can be found here.
 
Reducing the cost of drugs
An overwhelming bipartisan majority favors the government setting maximum prices for drugs sold in the US, based on what the drugs are sold for in other developed countries (which is about half the price on average). Over eight in 10 Democrats (92%) and Republicans (89%) are in favor.
 
A large bipartisan majority favors a proposal to bring more generic drugs to market by making it “illegal for drug companies – whose patent on a drug has come to an end – to pay generic drug companies to hold off making and selling that drug.” (Democrats 82%, Republicans 80%).
 
Over two-thirds favor another patent reform proposal intended to lower drug prices: allowing the federal government to override a company's drug patent and license other companies to produce that drug, if the government determines the price is unaffordable, and the drug was developed with federal funding. (Democrats 87%, Republicans 81%).
 
Large bipartisan majorities favor these proposals in all competitive states and House districts surveyed, as well as nationally.
 
Reinstating enhanced ACA subsidies
Reducing premiums and deductibles for health insurance bought on the Affordable Care Act marketplace, by reinstating the enhanced subsidies that expired this year, is favored by 92% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans.
 
Large bipartisan majorities favor this proposal in all competitive states and House districts surveyed, as well as nationally.
 
Spending on Medicaid
Given the option to increase federal spending on Medicaid and cover more people, keep it the same, or decrease it and cover fewer people, 86% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans say it should be increased.
 
Bipartisan majorities favor increasing federal spending on Medicaid in all competitive states and House districts surveyed, as well as nationally.
 
Expanding government health insurance
Allowing people aged 55 years or older to purchase a Medicare plan is favored by 83% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans.
 
Creating a “government-run public option (similar to Medicare) and allow all individuals who want to buy into it,” is favored by 88% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans.
 
These proposals are favored by at least two-thirds of Democrats and Republicans in all competitive states and House districts, as well as nationally.
 
Funding for substance abuse treatment
A large bipartisan majority favors increasing federal spending on substance abuse treatment by $13 billion, “which would mean nearly all people who want and need treatment would get it” (Democrats 85%, Republicans 76%).
 
In general, ensuring that every person who needs and wants substance use treatment can get it is seen as a high priority by 97% of Democrats and 95% of Republicans.
 
Large bipartisan majorities favor spending more on treatment, and making it a high priority, in all competitive states and House districts surveyed, as well as nationally.
 
MORE INFORMATION

• Minnesota + National Questionnaire with Toplines, Crosstabs and Methodology
• All Battleground State and District Results





Program for Public Consultation
The Program for Public Consultation (PPC), affiliated with the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, develops and conducts public consultation surveys, in which respondents are informed about and deliberate on policy solutions being proposed by elected officials, and give their recommendations. It seeks to improve democratic governance by consulting representative samples of citizens on key public policy proposals, and sharing its findings with officials in government, the media, other academics, and the general public.
 
Civic Innovation Center
The Civic Innovation Center (CivIC) at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy works to strengthen the foundations of civic health. It contributes to important debates about civic education, civic engagement, and needed democratic reforms in the state of Maryland and nationwide, in partnership with other BIG 10 universities. It works to build the connective tissue that brings together students, scholars and practitioners to help elevate the UMD community’s contribution to our wider democracy.
 
Voice of the People
Voice Of the People (VOP) is a nonpartisan organization working to re-anchor our democracy in its founding principles by giving ‘We the People’ a greater and more effective voice in government. It champions innovative methods and technology that enable the American people to play a role in the policymaking process and provide policymakers with a more accurate understanding of the views of their constituents.