A new Gallup poll reveals that many Americans are skeptical about whether President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will lower health care costs. Nearly half (46%) believe the country is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to Trump’s health care policies.
Meanwhile, 48% doubt that Trump and Congress will take effective steps to make health care and prescription drugs more affordable, while only 32% are optimistic.
Gallup summarized the findings by stating that most Americans are pessimistic about the new administration’s ability to reduce health care costs.
Concerns About Key Health Care Issues
The poll also looked at specific concerns regarding health care policies:
- Medicare and Social Security: 56% of Americans do not think the Trump administration will prioritize protecting these programs.
- Mental Health Care: 63% believe there will be little effort to expand access.
- Prescription Drug Costs: 57% doubt there will be significant action to lower drug prices.
- Insulin Costs: 58% don’t think insulin prices will be capped at $35 for all patients.
- Medicare Drug Price Negotiations: 60% believe the administration won’t expand Medicare’s power to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.
Political Divide on Health Care
As expected, views on Trump’s health care policies largely depend on political affiliation.
- Democrats are overwhelmingly pessimistic, with 84% saying the country is moving in the wrong direction. Nearly all (more than 90%) don’t believe the administration will prioritize reducing health care costs or drug prices.
- Independents are also mostly doubtful, with 48% saying the country is on the wrong path and 54% believing health care costs won’t go down.
- Republicans, in contrast, are largely optimistic. About 73% think Trump’s approach to health care is taking the country in the right direction. Additionally, 76% believe he and Congress will lower health care costs, and 78% think prescription drug prices will drop under his leadership.
Shared Concerns Across Party Lines
Despite the deep political divide, Americans—regardless of party—share many of the same concerns when it comes to affording health care. Previous research by Gallup found that more than a third of Republicans, Democrats, and independents worry about whether they will be able to pay for necessary medical care.
Middle-aged Americans, in particular, are concerned about the future of Medicare:
- 71% of Democrats,
- 66% of independents, and
- 62% of Republicans under 65 worry Medicare won’t be available when they retire.
Additionally, Republicans and Democrats agree that:
- Mental health and substance abuse treatment should be covered by insurance.
- Medicare should cover home care for seniors.
While Americans may disagree on which party can best improve health care, they remain united in wanting better policies that make medical care and prescription drugs more affordable.
Survey Details
The Gallup poll was conducted in partnership with West Health, a nonprofit focused on health care and aging. The survey took place from November 11 to 18 and included 3,583 adults aged 18 and older. The margin of error is ±2.1 percentage points.
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