NACDS: Poll Reveals Voters’ View of PBM Reform as “Must-Pass Legislation”

A new poll conducted by Morning Consult and commissioned by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) reveals that most registered voters are looking to their members of Congress to produce a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform law this year.

The poll, conducted October 1-3, found:

• More than two-thirds (69%) of registered voters agree that Congress should consider legislation to reform PBMs' role and actions in healthcare to be "must-pass legislation" before concluding its work in 2024.
• Also, 69% of registered voters agree that their member of Congress "should do whatever it takes" to ensure Congress enacts such legislation in 2024.

"Congress has done the hard and bipartisan work to craft meaningful reforms of PBM tactics that harm Americans, their pharmacies, and entire communities. Congress needs to finish the job and enact these reforms. Truth be told, the lack of a new law to this point is a missed opportunity for members of Congress to deliver on what Americans need, expect, and demand, and it is important to live up to that opportunity and responsibility now," said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson.

With all eyes now on a post-election "lame duck" Congressional session, NACDS says members of Congress would do well to pledge action and to deliver in 2024.

The poll also found:

• Nearly two-thirds (63%) of registered voters say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate running for office in their Congressional District if they were to pass PBM reform legislation.
• Also, 63% of registered voters rate negatively the job Congress has done in addressing healthcare issues (e.g. prescription drug prices, insurance costs, healthcare access, mental health, etc.).
• When thinking about the upcoming elections, nearly nine-in-ten registered voters say each of the following healthcare-related issues are important to their vote: prescription drug prices (87%); access to healthcare (88%); affordability of healthcare (88%); ability of patients to choose their healthcare providers (87%).
• Registered voters are most likely to rate "legislation in Congress" and "legislation in their state legislature" as the most important actions to be taken to address concerns related to pharmacy benefit managers, out of the tested options - 76% of registered voters say these actions are important to address concerns related to PBMs.

More information about NACDS' advocacy for PBM reform can be found on the Association's Access Agenda webpage.

This poll was conducted by Morning Consult and commissioned by NACDS between October 1-October 3, 2024, among a sample of 1,778 Registered Voters. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Registered Voters based on gender by age, educational attainment, race, marital status, home ownership, race by educational attainment, 2020 presidential vote, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.