This research was done with West Health, a group focused on healthcare and aging.
In a recent survey by West Health and Gallup, nearly half of Americans (46%) believe the country is moving in the wrong direction regarding healthcare costs under President-elect Donald Trump’s policies. About 40% feel similarly about the cost of prescription drugs. Only 30% of people are optimistic about either issue, while about 25% are unsure what the future holds for healthcare policy.
Opinions about healthcare policies vary widely among political parties. Most Democrats (84%) feel things are headed in the wrong direction, and nearly half of independents share this view (48%). On the other hand, 73% of Republicans are optimistic about the future of healthcare policies.
The West Health-Gallup survey included responses from 3,583 adults between November 11 and 18, 2024.
When asked about their feelings toward the new administration’s ability to lower healthcare costs, 48% of Americans expressed pessimism, only 32% felt optimistic, and about 20% were neutral. For prescription drug costs, 45% were pessimistic, while 34% were optimistic.
Among independents, 54% are doubtful about the administration’s ability to reduce healthcare costs, and 49% feel the same about prescription drug prices. In contrast, optimism is high among Republicans, with 76% believing Trump and Congress can lower healthcare costs, and 78% feeling the same about drug costs. On the flip side, most Democrats are not hopeful at all, with 88% pessimistic about healthcare costs and 85% about prescription drugs.
Many Americans doubt the Trump administration will focus on key healthcare issues during its second term. These priorities include protecting Medicare, expanding mental health access, lowering drug prices, capping insulin costs, and allowing Medicare to negotiate prices. More than 90% of Democrats and at least 60% of independents do not believe these issues will be prioritized, while many Republicans feel differently.
Looking ahead, fewer than 40% of Americans believe access to affordable healthcare or mental healthcare will improve over the next five years. Over 60% doubt that either will get better. This feeling of pessimism has not changed much since September. Slightly more independents feel this way post-election, but views have shifted for Democrats and Republicans. Before the election, 57% of Democrats thought healthcare access would likely improve, while more than 70% of Republicans now feel it will.
The political divide shows that Democrats and Republicans experience differing outlooks regarding healthcare policies after the election, while independents remain largely unchanged in their views. Generally, people are worried about the high costs of healthcare affecting their households. A significant number of Americans, regardless of party affiliation, are anxious about Medicare’s availability in the future. Notably, 71% of Democrats and 62% of Republicans under 65 share this worry.
Despite differences in who people believe can improve the healthcare system, there is a common desire for better healthcare policies. Polls show that many support laws requiring equal insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment compared to physical health. Additionally, more than 80% of Americans favor expanding Medicare to include home care services.
People may be divided in their political views, but they consistently want solutions to the challenges of affording and accessing healthcare.
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