According to a new Gallup poll, nearly half of Americans do not believe the incoming Trump administration will reduce health care costs.
The survey, conducted after the presidential election, found that 48% of Americans are pessimistic about the new administration's ability to lower health care costs, while 45% feel the same way about prescription drug costs.
However, much of public opinion is color-coded by partisanship. The poll found that 84% of Democrats think the Trump administration's future policies on health care spending are headed in the wrong direction, as do about half of independents.
At the same time, nearly three-quarters of Republicans said they think the country is heading in the right direction on health care costs.
Less than 40% of Americans say access to affordable health care and affordable mental health care in the U.S. will improve over the next five years, while more than 60% say neither is likely to improve. replied.
This poll shows how changes in political leadership have affected people's views.
While overall pessimism about future access to affordable health care has remained unchanged since the election, partisan divisions have. Before the election, 57% of Democrats thought access to affordable health care was very likely or somewhat likely to improve over the next five years, compared to 57% of Republicans. It was only about one-third.
The latest polls have reversed the numbers. More than 7 in 10 Republicans say they believe access to affordable health care and mental health care will likely improve, compared to just 1 in 10 Democrats. replied.
But overall, the average American adult is pessimistic about the new administration's health care policies aimed at cutting costs.
Health care took a backseat in President-elect Trump's campaign, with no concrete plan on how to reduce health care costs. Polls show voters care far more about the economy and immigration than they do about health care.
If the biggest battle for medical insurance breaks out in the future, the price of medical insurance could become even higher. Expanded tax credits to help pay for Obamacare premiums are set to expire this year, but many Republicans oppose extending them.
The poll was conducted in partnership with West Health, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on health care and aging. The survey was conducted online between November 11th and 18th among 3,583 adults. There was a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points for the entire sample.
