Americans want Congress to prioritize lower drug prices, pre-existing conditions

Most Americans are looking to Congress to lower prescription drug costs and uphold protections in the Affordable Care Act, according to a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Here’s what else the poll found:

• Prescription drug costs: More than three-quarters of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans say that lowering the cost of drugs should be a top priority for Congress.
• The ACA: 64% want the Supreme Court to uphold the ACA’s protections on pre-existing conditions. Nearly half of Republicans say that keeping these protections in place should be a priority for Congress.
• Surprise medical bills: Nearly 80% say the federal government should protect patients from surprise medical bills such as when patients are admitted to an out-of-network ER or taken to an ER by an out-of-network ambulance. But there is less consensus over who should pay for these unexpected high costs.