A recent poll conducted by Building America’s Future (BAF) reveals that many Republicans are skeptical about nonprofit hospitals and their pricing practices. According to the survey, 52% of Republicans expressed the belief that nonprofit hospitals are more focused on profits than on patient care. Additionally, a striking 70% of respondents think these organizations inflate prices to benefit themselves.
Initially, opinions about the 340B Prescription Drug Program, which allows nonprofit hospitals to access discounted medications, were quite mixed among the Republican participants. Just 36% felt confident supporting its expansion. Meanwhile, 37% either somewhat or strongly backed the initiative, but 27% were opposed.
However, enthusiasm for the 340B expansion significantly dropped when respondents learned it could lead to consolidation among hospitals and increased prices. In fact, support plummeted by 33% upon discovering that large networks used the program to acquire smaller nonprofits, ostensibly to lower drug costs. The same decline in support was noted when participants became aware of reports indicating that some hospitals exploited the program to develop affordable cancer treatments for rural areas, only to sell them at higher prices elsewhere.
As the poll report suggests, “What they initially saw as a lifeline for low-income communities has instead become a powerful engine for healthcare integration in America.”
In a related context, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in May aimed at reducing prescription drug costs for Americans, highlighting that the U.S. spends nearly three times more than other developed nations on medications, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Although the president has not yet targeted the 340B program specifically, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized it, stating that patients rarely see the benefits of drug price reductions.
Most respondents agreed that modifications to the 340B program should be contingent on the government passing reforms first. The poll also gauged Republican voter attitudes toward state politicians who might want to expand the program independently; 49% indicated they would be less likely to support such candidates, while 22% would be somewhat less inclined to do so.
According to BAF, this data underscores Republican voters’ strong concerns about the functioning of nonprofit hospital networks and their significant impact on healthcare costs. The poll’s methodology involved surveying 1,013 registered Republican voters throughout the U.S., with a margin of error of +/- 3% at a 95% confidence level.
