Voters Urge Congress To Act On Hospital Prices
A new poll finds 89% of voters want Congress to act on hospital prices within two years, citing high costs as a major concern. This demand for action may lead to changes in healthcare legislation.
Original reporting · fiercehealthcare.com
Original: “89% of voters want Congress to act on hospital prices, poll finds”
Read “89% of voters want Congress to act on hospital prices, poll finds” at Fierce Healthcare →
How this was written. Diagnosis Forward wrote this article with a language model from Fierce Healthcare’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Fierce Healthcare’s report
- A majority of voters, 89%, want Congress to act on hospital prices within the next two years.
- The demand for action on hospital prices is bipartisan, with significant majorities of both Democrats and Republicans expressing support.
- Voters are concerned that legislators will not do enough to lower prices, with 72% of respondents expressing this worry.
- There is strong support for policies aimed at reducing healthcare costs, including preventing hospitals from charging excessive fees.
- Greater transparency and accountability in hospital pricing are key concerns for voters, with 92% supporting a mandate for hospitals to disclose costs before providing care.
A recent poll conducted by the Alliance for Fair Health Pricing found that 89% of voters believe it is important for Congress to address hospital prices within the next two years, according to Fierce Healthcare. This includes a significant majority of both Democrats and Republicans, with 93% and 86% of respondents from each party, respectively, expressing this sentiment. The poll surveyed 1,212 registered voters between September 4 and 6.
The demand for action on hospital prices is not limited to a single party, with eight in 10 respondents reporting that reducing healthcare prices should be a high legislative priority. This represents an increase from 71% in 2024, indicating growing concern over healthcare costs. Reducing healthcare costs has also risen as an 'extremely high priority' from 46% in 2024 to 62% in 2026 among respondents.
Despite the growing demand for action, 72% of respondents expressed worry that legislators will not do enough to lower prices, including 79% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans. This concern highlights the need for concrete steps to be taken to address the issue of hospital prices. Fierce Healthcare reported that voters are sending a clear message to policymakers to act now on hospital price transparency.
Alexandra Spratt, vice president of healthcare at Arnold Ventures, stated that 'Voters are sending policymakers a clear message: act now on hospital price transparency.' She emphasized that Congress has made progress but still has work to do, and that strengthening transparency requirements can promote accountability and help lower healthcare costs. The poll also examined voters' attitudes towards policies that could lower healthcare costs.
The poll found significant support for policies aimed at reducing healthcare costs, including preventing hospitals from charging more than provider offices for the same outpatient services, which was supported by 87% of respondents. Additionally, 85% of respondents supported preventing hospitals from charging 'facility fees' for services at outpatient clinics or for telehealth visits. These findings suggest that voters are looking for meaningful changes to address the issue of high hospital prices.
The survey also found that 79% of respondents supported limiting what hospitals can charge for services to 'no more than twice the price that Medicare pays.' Furthermore, 92% of respondents supported a mandate requiring hospitals to fully disclose costs before providing care. These results indicate a strong desire for greater transparency and accountability in hospital pricing.
Questions and answers
What percentage of voters want Congress to act on hospital prices?
89% of voters want Congress to act on hospital prices within the next two years.
Do voters support policies to lower healthcare costs?
Yes, voters support policies such as preventing hospitals from charging more than provider offices for the same outpatient services and limiting what hospitals can charge for services.
What is the level of support for a mandate requiring hospitals to disclose costs before providing care?
92% of respondents support a mandate requiring hospitals to fully disclose costs before providing care.
