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Voters trying towards the midterm elections are extra motivated by a candidate’s stance on President Donald Trump than on any particular coverage query.
But considerations about prescription drug costs and different well being care prices nonetheless might drastically affect how folks forged their ballots, in accordance with a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation launched Thursday. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially impartial program of the inspiration.)
Almost a 3rd of Republicans and 30 p.c of Democrats mentioned a candidate’s assist of or opposition to the president could have the largest influence on their vote. Even amongst voters who mentioned well being care is an important subject for 2018, 28 p.c mentioned they are going to vote based mostly on the candidate’s viewpoints of the president.
Meanwhile, 45 p.c of Democratic voters mentioned they’re extra enthusiastic to vote on this congressional election than previously in contrast with three in 10 Republicans, however this enthusiasm was not connected to any particular subject.
“We can talk about all the different issues that are going to be playing out in the midterms, but it seems like this election is going to be based on the public’s approval or disapproval of Trump,” mentioned Ashley Kirzinger, a senior survey analyst for KFF’s public opinion and survey analysis crew.
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On the difficulty of pharmaceuticals, 66 p.c of Republicans, 78 p.c of Democrats and 72 p.c of independents mentioned they’d be “more likely” to vote for a candidate vowing to convey down prices.
“Lowering prescription drug prices has been and will continue to be extremely popular, regardless of political ideology,” mentioned Alex Lawson, the manager director of Social Security Works, a gaggle that advocates for decrease drug costs, amongst different issues.
That tracks with other KFF polling this 12 months that reveals excessive drug costs appear to be one factor on which Americans agree, no matter get together affiliation. In that earlier survey, Eight in 10 folks mentioned drug costs are too excessive, and a majority of each Democrats and Republicans thought the pharmaceutical trade has an excessive amount of energy.
On the marketing campaign path, Trump talked about pharmaceutical firms “getting away with murder” and vowed to decrease costs.
“He has used the right rhetoric for a while on drug prices, but the yawning chasm between his rhetoric and literally putting pharmaceutical executives in charge seems insurmountable to me,” Lawson mentioned.
A extremely anticipated coverage speech by Trump on prescription drug prices, which was initially scheduled for late April, is now, in accordance with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, slated for Friday.
More broadly, price considerations seem like a prime subject for a lot of voters. When requested in the latest KFF ballot “to say in their own words” the well being coverage points they want 2018 candidates to tackle, reducing well being care and insurance coverage prices drew comparable giant majorities from folks in each events.
The subject has develop into much less ideological, Kirzinger mentioned. When the dialog shifts from Obamacare to the price of well being care, folks from either side come collectively extra.
“In previous election cycles we’ve seen when health care plays a role, it’s a little about cost, but for Republicans it’s about repealing the ACA,” she mentioned. “That argument has somewhat dissipated … it’s really about cost this election.”
In common, 22 p.c of registered voters mentioned they needed to listen to about well being care insurance policies from congressional candidates, rating simply behind the economic system and jobs. But when requested to call only one subject that they wish to hear about within the marketing campaign, simply 12 p.c mentioned well being care.
Thirty p.c of Democrats, 15 p.c of Republicans and 19 p.c of independents say it’s the “most important” factor for a candidate to speak about on the marketing campaign path.
Of the voters who say they care about well being care, about 60 p.c are both Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents, so it might probably play a much bigger position in Democratic primaries than for Republicans.
A partisan divide stays concerning the Affordable Care Act. Just beneath half of the general public, and 79 p.c of Democrats, maintain a good view of the sweeping well being legislation generally known as Obamacare. But a close to mirror picture of Republicans — 79 p.c — view it unfavorably.
The ballot was performed April 20-30 amongst a nationally consultant phone pattern of two,000 adults. The margin of sampling error is +/-Three share factors for the complete pattern.
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Rachel Bluth: [email protected]”>[email protected], @RachelHBluth
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