Drug Pricing Measure Holds Early Lead, But Many Voters Are Still Undecided

Half of likely voters in California say they support a prescription drug pricing measure on the November ballot, according to a new poll, while many appear to be totally confused about what the measure would actually do.

When presented with the state’s summary of Proposition 61 and asked how they would vote today, 34 percent of likely voters said they were undecided.

“Part of this may be due to the cautionary fiscal impact statement that is included as part of Proposition 61's official ballot summary,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll, which conducted the poll jointly with the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley.

Proposition 61 would require state health programs to pay no more for prescription drugs than the discounted rate that the VA pays. While intended to save the state money, the state’s fiscal analysis shows that it’s actually unclear if Proposition 61 will result in any meaningful savings.

The ballot voters will take into the voting booth says that potential savings are “of an unknown amount, depending on: (1) how the measure's implementation challenges are addressed and (2) the responses of drug manufacturers regarding the provision and pricing of their drugs.”

The state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office reports that drug companies would likely look for ways to make up financial losses, if Proposition 61 passes. They could raise VA prices to avoid extending discounts to California’s health programs. Or they could simply refuse to sell their drugs to California at the discounted rate.

Sixteen percent of voters said they would vote No on Proposition 61.

Of the 50 percent who said they would vote Yes, most are Democrats, college graduates, residents of Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area, and people under age 30.

Overall, pollster DiCamillo said the results indicate “that while many Californians are instinctively supportive of the initiative's stated intent, to attempt to take action against rising prescription drug prices, many voters are also initially reticent about taking a stand until they learn more about the initiative.”