Drug Topics - October 13, 2008 - (Page 38)

38 08 DRUG TOPICS Oct. 13, 2008 www.drugtopics.com Special Report PRESIDENTIAL POLL 2008 president, with 29.7 percent of Republicans saying that a McCain presidency would be good for pharmacy and 33 percent of Democrats predicting good things under an Obama presidency. But while 44 percent of Democrats think a McCain presidency would be bad for pharmacy, 56 percent of Republicans feel that way about an Obama presidency. Slightly more than half (54 percent) weren’t certain about the impact of a McCain presidency, and just less than half (46 percent) weren’t sure about the impact of an Obama presidency. Looking back on the Bush administration’s impact on pharmacy, McCain supporters were split about evenly in saying that it was positive (22 percent), negative (27.9 percent), neutral (25.9 percent), or unknown (24 percent). By contrast, only 1.6 percent of those supporting Obama said the impact was positive, compared with 74.7 percent who said the impact was negative, 9.1 percent who said there was no impact, and 14.5 percent who didn’t know. When it comes to identifying the most important issues facing the country, the greatest areas of partisan agreement are the economy (cited by 84 percent of Democratic respondents and 76 percent of Republicans) and high gas prices/energy conservation (34.4 percent of Democrats and 33.4 percent of Republicans). Moving closer to home, pharmacists believe the top three issues facing the profession are Medicaid rate cuts (59.4 percent), universal health care and how to adress people without health insurance (42.9 percent) and the high cost of prescription drugs (42 percent). Here too, however, the partisan divide is evident just beneath the surface, with 53.7 percent of Democrats citing universal health care versus only 34.7 percent of Republicans, while 61.4 percent of Republicans chose Medicaid rate cuts, compared to 54 percent of Democrats. When it comes to the candidates’ proposals for addressing specific healthcare issues, support is generally stronger for McCain’s, although pharmacists appear not to be thrilled by either candidate’s proposals. McCain’s idea of providing refundable tax credits to allow individuals and families to purchase health insurance on the open market drew approval from 44 percent of respondents, with 29 percent opposing. Forty-nine percent endorse the establishment of state guaranteed-access plans to help cover patients without insurance, while 16 percent are against it. Obama’s proposal requiring employers to provide employees with health insurance or contribute to the cost of insurance was favored by 30 percent of respondents and opposed by 43 percent. Thirty-five percent said they support his idea of providing subsidies for low-income people, creating a purchasing pool with a choice of public and private plans, and prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to or charging higher premiums for people with existing conditions, with 33 percent opposed. Universal healthcare coverage, a popular concept in some segments of the population, remains a nonstarter among pharmacists. Fifty-one percent of respondents oppose it, while 30 percent are in favor. Once again, though, the surface results mask deep partisan differences. Slightly more than 13 percent of Republicans favor the idea, with 71.5 percent opposed. Among Democrats, 54 percent are in favor, with 24.4 percent opposed. The idea also gets a thumbs-down among independents, 49.8 percent to 33.3 percent. Respondents were generally positive in evaluating the effectiveness of organizations and associations lobbying Congress on behalf of pharmacists’ needs. About 39 percent rated them as somewhat effective, and 20 percent said they are effective, while about 15 percent said they were not effective.Between 1980, when Drug Topics first polled its readers, and 2004, the electorate shared pharmacists’ GOP leanings, sending Republicans to the White House in five of seven elections. By the fall of 2008, however, most voters were telling pollsters that they felt the country was on the wrong track, and “change” had become the watchword of both parties. Will the change include a new party in control of the White House? Stay tuned. Fifty-one percent of respondents oppose universal healthcare. Thirty-five percent of respondents support subsidies for low-income people. http://www.drugtopics.com

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Drug Topics - October 13, 2008 Contents Latebreakers Letters Kansas Pharmacists Partner with Law Enforcement to Fight Meth Use Pharmacy Board to Oversee Med Distribution at West Virginia Free Clinics Rx Care JP�at Large Celebrating Community Special Report Self-Care Government and Law Newer Treatment Option for Type 2 Diabetes New Products Advertisers Index Technology Classified Viewpoint:�Pharmacists Must Change our Ways

Drug Topics - October 13, 2008

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