Key Takeaways
- With the Trump administration lately asserting a number of high-profile prescription drug pricing offers, the newest polling from KFF means that few suppose it’s possible the Trump administration’s actions will decrease their prescription drug prices, however his base stays extra optimistic. Massive majorities of Republicans (73%) and MAGA-supporting Republicans (83%) say they suppose it’s both very or considerably possible that the administration will decrease prescription drug prices for individuals like them, whereas far fewer independents (33%) or Democrats (9%) say the identical.
- One space the place the Trump administration is aiming to scale back prices is for GLP-1 agonists – a category of medication that features model names like Ozempic and Wegovy usually used for weight reduction and the therapy of diabetes and different persistent circumstances. One in 5 (18%) adults now report having ever taken a GLP-1 agonist, together with 12% who say they’re presently taking such a medicine (a 6 proportion level improve from 18 months in the past). Though most GLP-1 customers say their insurance coverage coated not less than a few of the value, over half (56%) of customers say these medicine had been tough to afford, together with one in 4 who say they had been “very tough” to afford. A couple of quarter (27%) of GLP-1 customers report having insurance coverage however paying the entire value of the medicine themselves.
- Almost half of people that say they’ve been identified with diabetes (45%) report presently utilizing a GLP-1 medicine, as do three in ten (29%) adults who say they’ve been identified with coronary heart illness and a couple of quarter (23%) of those that report being identified as obese or overweight up to now 5 years. Throughout age teams, present GLP-1 use is highest amongst these ages 50-64 (22%) when in comparison with youthful and older adults. Amongst adults 65 and older, 9% say they’re presently utilizing these medicine – possible a mirrored image of Medicare’s lack of protection for medicine particularly used for weight reduction.
- With GLP-1 medicine extensively obtainable through direct-to-consumer web sites and, more and more, straight from drug producers, most adults who’ve taken these medicines say they received them from their major well being care supplier or a specialist (76%), whereas about one in six (17%) report getting them from an internet supplier or web site. Fewer say they received a GLP-1 from a medical spa or aesthetic medical heart (9%).
Affordability of Prescription Medication and Views on Trump Administration Actions
President Trump has lately introduced a number of administrative actions geared toward tackling the difficulty of prescription drug prices. The newest KFF Well being Monitoring Ballot – fielded previous to Trump’s most up-to-date announcement associated to cost and coverage of GLP-1 drugs – finds prescription drug prices stay an issue for a lot of People, however few suppose it’s possible that the Trump administration will decrease their drug prices.
General, about one in 4 (26%) adults say they or somebody residing with them had issues paying for prescribed drugs up to now 12 months, rising to 4 in ten (41%) amongst uninsured adults and about one-third amongst Hispanic adults (33%), Black adults (32%), and people with annual family incomes under $40,000 (33%).
Previously month, President Trump has introduced a number of prescription drug pricing offers between his administration and completely different drugmakers, together with offers with Pfizer and AstraZeneca associated to what they cost state Medicaid packages for a few of their medicine, and a subsequent deal with a maker of in vitro fertilization (IVF) medicine geared toward lowering the cost of those therapies. Alongside these offers, the administration introduced the upcoming launch of TrumpRx, a web site the place the general public may go to purchase prescribed drugs straight from producers with out utilizing their medical health insurance. After this survey was fielded, the Trump administration introduced additional deals with makers of GLP-1 weight reduction medicine to decrease their value and develop protection in some cases.
Many of the public is unaware of the Trump administration’s latest prescription drug bulletins, with lower than a 3rd saying they’ve learn or heard “rather a lot” or “some” about President Trump’s offers to decrease the price of sure medicine for state Medicaid packages (30%), efforts to scale back the price of some IVF medicine (24%), or the deliberate TrumpRx web site (20%). Public consciousness of the launch of TrumpRx is especially low, with most adults (59%) saying they’ve heard “nothing in any respect” about this.
Republicans are extra possible than Democrats to say they’ve heard not less than some in regards to the administration’s latest offers with pharmaceutical firms to decrease the price of some prescribed drugs for Medicaid (44% v. 22%) and efforts to scale back the price of some medicine for IVF therapy (30% v. 19%), however related shares throughout partisans say they’ve heard about TrumpRx.
General, a majority (62%) of adults say it’s both “not too” or “by no means possible” that the Trump administration’s insurance policies will decrease prescription drug prices for individuals like them, whereas about 4 in ten (38%) say they suppose it’s “very” or “considerably possible.”
These expectations are largely pushed by partisanship, with giant majorities of Republicans (73%) and MAGA-supporting Republican and Republican leaning independents (83%) saying it’s possible the administration will decrease drug prices for individuals like them. Comparably, a lot smaller shares of independents (33%) or Democrats (9%) say they suppose the administration will decrease their prescription drug prices.
About half (49%) of adults ages 65 and older with Medicare say they suppose it’s possible that the Trump administration will decrease their prescription drug prices, in comparison with smaller shares of adults beneath age 65 with employer-sponsored insurance coverage (34%) or Medicaid (32%). About 4 in ten (38%) adults beneath age 65 who buy their very own insurance coverage say they suppose it’s possible the administration will decrease their drug prices.
Use, Entry and Affordability of GLP-1 Medication
KFF’s newest Well being Monitoring Ballot gives an replace to last year’s poll measuring public use of GLP-1 agonists, a gaggle of prescribed drugs together with identify manufacturers like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and others generally prescribed for weight reduction, the therapy of diabetes, discount of heart problems danger, and another persistent circumstances1.
General, almost one in 5 (18%) adults now say they’ve ever used GLP-1 agonist medicine both to drop some pounds or deal with a persistent situation, together with 12% who say they’re presently utilizing them (a rise of 6 proportion factors from Might 2024).
Use of GLP-1 medicine is highest amongst adults who report being identified with circumstances these medicine are prescribed to deal with, together with those that have ever been instructed by a health care provider that they’ve diabetes (57% ever used, together with 45% presently utilizing), coronary heart illness (40% ever, 29% presently), and people which were instructed by a health care provider that they’re obese or overweight up to now 5 years (34% ever, 23% presently).
Throughout age teams, present GLP-1 use is highest amongst those that are between the ages of fifty and 64 (22%), with smaller shares of these ages 18-29 (4%), 30-49 (11%), or over age 65 (9%) saying they’re presently utilizing these medicine. Girls are extra possible than males to report utilizing GLP-1 medicine whereas there will not be important variations in use throughout race and ethnicity. Use of those medicine is far increased amongst adults who’re presently coated by medical health insurance in comparison with those that are uninsured (12% v. 4%).
Who’re GLP-1 Customers?
Among the many 18% of adults who report having ever used GLP-1 medicine, the overwhelming majority (84%) say they’ve been identified with not less than one of many predominant circumstances these medicine are prescribed to deal with, together with weight problems or being obese up to now 5 years (77%), or ever being identified with diabetes (49%) or coronary heart illness (21%). Conversely, 15% of GLP-1 customers say they haven’t been identified with any of those circumstances by a medical supplier.
Amongst adults who’ve ever used GLP-1 medicine, the 15% who say they haven’t been identified with diabetes, coronary heart illness or as obese or overweight could nonetheless have taken these medicine for therapy of different persistent circumstances that these medicine are authorised for, akin to sure sorts of liver disease or sleep apnea.
Wanting on the 18% of adults who’ve ever used GLP-1 agonist medicine, most report utilizing them to deal with a persistent situation, whereas a smaller share say they used them solely to drop some pounds. Amongst adults who’ve used these medicine, seven in ten say they used them primarily to deal with a persistent situation like diabetes or coronary heart illness (38%) or to each deal with a persistent situation and drop some pounds (32%), whereas three in ten GLP-1 customers (30%) report utilizing these medicine primarily to drop some pounds.
When wanting on the public total, 12% of all adults report ever taking these medicine not less than partly to deal with a persistent situation, together with 7% of the general public who say they took them primarily to deal with a persistent situation and 6% who say they took these medicine to each deal with a persistent situation and to drop some pounds. General, 5% of U.S. adults say they’ve taken these medicine primarily to drop some pounds.
Adults ages 30 to 49 and 50 to 64 are extra possible than these beneath age 30 and older than 64 to report ever utilizing these medicine primarily to drop some pounds. Decrease GLP-1 use amongst adults ages 65 and older, together with for weight reduction, could mirror Medicare’s lack of coverage for prescribed drugs used particularly for weight reduction. Previously week, nonetheless, the Trump administration announced that some adults with Medicare will now be eligible for GLP-1 medicine as a part of a pilot program, following a take care of drugmakers.
GLP-1 medicine have grow to be extensively obtainable through on-line telehealth platforms, and in some circumstances, could be bought straight from pharmaceutical companies’ web sites the place the general public should purchase these medicine with out utilizing their insurance coverage. Compounded variations of those medicine that haven’t been vetted by the FDA are additionally available to customers, even because the FDA recently called for an finish to their sale and manufacturing.
Most adults who’ve taken GLP-1 medicine say they received them from their major care physician or specialist (76%), whereas about one in six (17%) say they received them from an internet supplier or web site, and one in ten (9%) report getting them from a medical spa or aesthetic medical heart.
Most adults (70%) who’ve taken GLP-1 medicine say their insurance coverage coated not less than part of the price of these medicine, together with about half (48%) who say their insurance coverage coated a part of the price of these medicine and about one in 5 (22%) who say their insurance coverage coated the entire value.
About one in 4 (27%) GLP-1 customers report having medical health insurance however say they paid the total value themselves. The record costs for these medicine common about $1,000 per month in U.S; nonetheless, up to now week, President Trump announced offers with makers of GLP-1 medicine to supply their medicine at cheaper costs on to customers. As well as, the administration introduced expanded protection of those medicine for some individuals with Medicare and Medicaid as a part of a pilot program. Medical insurance protection of GLP-1 medicine varies extensively and could also be extra restricted for these trying to take the medicine solely for weight reduction2.
Even with medical health insurance overlaying not less than a part of the price of GLP-1 medicine for many customers, many report problem affording them. Simply over half (56%) of GLP-1 customers – together with 55% of these with medical health insurance – say it was tough to afford these medicine, together with one in 4 who say it was “very tough.”
The price of the medicines in addition to unintended effects are the most typical purpose given for discontinuing GLP-1 use. About one in seven adults who’ve ever used GLP-1 medicines say they’re not utilizing these medicine due to the price (14%), much like the share who report not taking the medicines due to unintended effects (13%). A smaller share of adults who’ve ever used these medicine say they stopped taking them as a result of their situation improved (5%).
Public Curiosity in Utilizing GLP-1 Medication for Weight Loss
Past the share who’ve used these medicine, a lot of the general public has encountered GLP-1 medicine, with about 4 in ten (37%) adults saying they’ve an in depth pal or member of the family who’s utilizing one to both drop some pounds or deal with a persistent situation.
General, about one in 5 (22%) adults who will not be presently taking GLP-1 medicine (88% of the general public) say they might be considering taking a GLP-1 drug to drop some pounds, together with simply 7% who say they might be “very .” This rises to 4 in ten (43%) amongst adults who will not be presently taking a GLP-1 however report being identified as obese or overweight up to now 5 years, and about one in 4 (27%) amongst those that say they’ve been identified with diabetes or coronary heart illness. Amongst adults who will not be presently taking a GLP-1 medicine, ladies are extra possible than males to say they might be not less than considerably considering taking these medicine to drop some pounds (27% v. 18%).
