Poll shows 80 percent of older voters concerned prescription drug reform will hurt drug innovation

A poll commissioned by American Commitment, a conservative-leaning advocacy group, showed that 80 percent of older voters fear the prescription drug reforms included in President Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act will negatively impact drug innovation while 14 percent of those voters think it will lower their drug costs.  

The survey found that 60 percent of respondents 55 or older view health insurance-related costs as the most concerning issue related to health care affordability and that 85 percent of them do not support using the savings from empowering Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices to offset the cost of unrelated programs, such as electric vehicle tax credits and Affordable Care Act subsidies. 

Among those surveyed, 90 percent said the Medicare drug savings produced from the Inflation Reduction Act’s reforms should be passed directly to individuals on Medicare.  

The poll also found that 85 percent of the seniors surveyed expressed concern that more than half of AARP’s operating revenue comes from royalties — and much of it from UnitedHealthcare.  

And 95 percent said AARP should not have backed the Inflation Reduction Act because the federal savings from prescription drug reform would be used to offset other programs in the bill. 

“The total disconnect between the priorities of AARP and seniors shows that AARP advocates on behalf of its corporate partners and its own bottom line, period,” said Phil Kerpen, the president of American Commitment.

“AARP has abused its reputation to advance public policies seniors clearly do not support, while ignoring the top concerns of seniors, because those concerns implicate AARP’s principal revenue source: UnitedHealth.” 

The poll of 1,600 likely voters 55 and older, including nearly 700 AARP members, was conducted from April 23 to 30 by McLaughlin & Associates, which has done polling for former President Trump and is currently his pollster in the presidential election.  

Jim McLaughlin, president of McLaughlin & Associates, said the survey data shows “it is more apparent than ever that older Americans, including AARP members, disagree with the so-called ‘seniors advocacy’ organization’s policy positions.” 

“The question now becomes whether AARP will put older Americans’ priorities first by abandoning its corporate ties with the nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare, or continue to advocate for liberal policies like the Inflation Reduction Act that seniors and its members are concerned about,” he said.   

Laura Segal, senior vice president for external relations at AARP, pushed back on the survey.  

“This poll lacks any credibility. American Commitment is a PhRMA funded front group who put out this deceptive push poll in an effort to keep charging unfair, astronomically high prices for prescription drugs,” she said. 

“The Congressional Budget Office has said this law will save seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars, and only a front group for big drug companies would claim that is a bad thing for seniors,” she added.  

In a follow-up interview with The Hill, McLaughlin said the AARP is “playing politics and they’re out of touch with their members.”

“A good example is the Inflation Reduction Act. They come out for this thing called the Inflation Reduction Act and what does it do, it cuts Medicare by like $280 billion,” he said.

“There’s a reason why Donald Trump says he’s not going to cut Medicare,” he said. “It’s an important program. It’s vital to people’s retirement and unless you’re doing something to make Medicare better, people aren’t going to support it.” 

The Hill has reached out to the AARP for comment.

McLaughlin’s claim that the Inflation Reduction Act cuts Medicare echoes attacks that have been called “misleading” by the nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

“In reality, the bill’s prescription drug savings would save the federal government nearly $300 billion through 2031 without cutting benefits — and while actually reducing premiums and out-of-pocket costs by nearly $300 billion more,” the group said last year.

AARP describes itself as the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older. 

Updated: 5:35 p.m.