Public awareness is hazy about federal rules for prescription drug prices

Love it or hate it, Washington, D.C., is buzzing about “Bidenomics,” the national economic plan under the administration of President Joe Biden.

But is the rest of the country?

In August 2022, Biden signed the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a sweeping economic bill with effects on health care, climate change, and taxes.

It contained provisions relating to prescription drug costs and aiming to make more medicines more accessible to patients who need them.

KFF measured public awareness about those regulation in its “KFF Health Tracking Poll 2023: The Public’s Views Of New Prescription Weight Loss Drugs And Prescription Drug Costs.” The nonprofit asked, “As far as you know, is there a federal law in place that …” and respondents could answer, “Yes, there is a law that does this,” “Not sure,” or, “No, there is not a law that does this.”

Here's a sample of how aware patients are about the prescription drug regulations of the IRA.