A New poll confirms that most Louisiana residents believe the cost of health care is too high. Yet, There’s a small handful of bills in the current legislative session underway in Baton Rouge that would effectively raise the cost of health care.
One such bill would impose a dispensing fee to support local pharmacies. As the Louisiana Radio Network reports, the new poll comes from JMC Analytics and commissioned by the group Save Our Benefits. Question 4 revealed what people blame for the high costs, with 43% of respondents selecting ‘All of the Above’, in effect spreading to responsibility to all parties in the medical industry.
JMC founder John Couvillon says two-thirds of people polled would not pay more for prescription drugs even if the price increase would support local pharmacies. “There is some concern about the cost of healthcare, more specifically prescription drugs. And that cost is the overriding concern over everything else.”
Couvillon says the poll does not bode well for local independent pharmacies, especially those in smaller communities in Louisiana. “When I took a look at the poll results and narrowed it down to those parishes that had a population of a hundred thousand or less, I found that that sentiment against increased prices was somewhat stronger.”
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), spending on healthcare in the U.S. increased by 7.5% in 2023 to just under $4.9 trillion. That growth rate far surpasses the 4.6% rise in 2022. The AMA concludes that higher utilization of health care goods and services drove much of the cost increases in 2023. The association’s report shows the two largest categories of health spending include hospital services and physician services from 2014 to 2023.
