Over Half Know Someone Diagnosed with COVID-19  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new survey of Latino registered voters in Arizona, California, Florida, and Pennsylvania conducted by Lake Research Partners on behalf of UnidosUS Action Fund and Lower Drug Prices Now found that Latinos are very concerned about the cost of prescription drugs, and close to 90 percent say the government should “make prescription drugs that were developed using research funded by taxpayer money available at an affordable price.”

The survey results come amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in which Latinos have been disproportionately impacted. In August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the COVID-19 case rate for Latino Americans was 2.8 times higher than for whites. In the new poll, 51 percent of respondents said that they, a family member, or a close friend had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

“Latino communities are bearing the brunt of the pandemic, and Latino voters worry that when a vaccine or effective treatments come along, they won’t be able to afford them,” said Orson Aguilar, Executive Director of UnidosUS Action Fund. “Latinos want strong, decisive action to curb drug company profiteering and to ensure that COVID-19 treatments and vaccines are both available and affordable to all who need them,” he said.

“The only way we can get the COVID pandemic under control is by ensuring that vaccines and treatments are affordable and accessible to everyone,” said Margarida Jorge, Campaign Director of Lower Drug Prices Now. “Instead of packing the Supreme Court with another anti-health care justice to repeal the Affordable Care Act–which also disproportionately hurts Latinos–President Trump and the Republicans should be passing the MMAPPP Act to stop drug corporations from profiteering off of taxpayer-funded treatments for COVID, and ensure everyone, regardless of coverage or immigration status, can get access to prevention for COVID.”

Among the key findings:

• 89 percent say the government should “make prescription drugs that were developed using research funded by taxpayer money available at an affordable price,” with 82 percent strongly in favor.
• 79 percent said that drug companies “are unfairly profiting off of lifesaving drugs.”
• 79 percent supported empowering our government “to limit drug corporations’ monopoly power to set prices on drugs like insulin above what people can afford,” with 74 percent strongly in favor.
• 74 percent would “make it illegal for a drug company to pay generic manufacturers to delay the release of a generic version of their drug,” with 66 percent strongly in favor of such a policy.
• 71 percent said they were very or somewhat worried about not being able to afford prescription drugs if they become seriously ill.

The poll also found that President Trump’s handling of COVID-19 and healthcare in general has raised doubts about him among Latino voters. For example, 54 percent expressed serious doubt about the President because he “thinks of the coronavirus as a public relations problem instead of a problem that threatens the health of people in our communities,” with a total of 71 percent expressing some level of doubt about Trump because of this.

The poll, which includes breakouts for Arizona, California, Florida and Pennsylvania, was conducted on behalf of UnidosUS Action Fund and Lower Drug Prices Now by Lake Research Partners from October 5-13 with 800 Latino registered voters. Full results are available here.

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UnidosUS Action Fund is committed to building Latinx political power to strengthen families and communities. With Latino voters consistently citing healthcare as a top concern, we are committed to protecting the Affordable Care Act and lowering prescription drug costs.

Lower Drug Prices Now is a national coalition of 60 social, racial and economic justice organizations with members in all 50 states. We are committed to transformative, systemic and bold reforms to ensure everyone has access to affordable medicines — no matter where they live, what they look like or how much money they have. Learn more at www.lowerdrugpricesnow.org and follow us on Twitter @peopleb4pharma.