Patient Experience Survey
PhRMA’s Patient Experience Survey (PES) is a research initiative designed to explore the barriers patients face in accessing health care and prescription medicines. For example, 87% of Americans agree that if they got sick with a serious medical condition or disease, they would want to be treated in the United States. Findings from the robust quantitative survey, conducted in partnership with Ipsos, informs analysis that connects Americans’ real experiences to a policy agenda that addresses their needs and concerns.
Americans overwhelmingly value U.S. pharmaceutical leadership. But health insurance coverage costs and insurance-related barriers to care are problems to solve. Ultimately, from the lab to the pharmacy counter, insured Americans want a system that works for them.
Many insured Americans have faced insurance barriers to care in the past year – with this being an even bigger issue for chronic disease patients who are most in need of reliable access to care. Roughly half can’t anticipate what they’ll pay for Rx and have had trouble understanding their health insurance coverage. There is widespread support for cracking down on practices by insurance companies and PBMs and that can limit patient access to medicines.
PES Wave 4 - Protecting Lifelines to Access and Innovation, Summer 2023
Insured Americans overwhelmingly say they believe that insurance should provide affordable access to health care (93%), yet only a third (34%) say they believe it currently delivers. This survey shows how insured Americans face the repercussions of insurer and PBM practices, including unaffordable out-of-pocket costs, access barriers and risks to future innovative treatments.
Americans are struggling to navigate barriers imposed by insurance companies and pharmacy PBMs, including both utilization management restrictions like prior authorization and administrative burdens such as paperwork and time on the phone navigating coverage.
Many insurance practices exacerbate access and affordability issues. Americans vulnerable to these practices bear the impact of these insurer-imposed barriers on Americans’ livelihoods, adherence to medicines and access to care.
PES Wave 1 - Barriers to Health Care Access in the Patient Experience, Fall 2021
PhRMA’s Patient Experience Survey is a research initiative designed to explore the barriers patients face in accessing health care and prescription medicines. The research aims to understand how patients engage with the health care system, uncover the real, practical challenges Americans face around access and affordability and identify solutions that could make a meaningful difference.
Related Resources
Blog
Americans believe U.S. pharma leadership needs to be protected
Press Release
Fact Sheet
Protecting Lifelines to Access and Innovation
Fact Sheet
Navigating the Patient Experience: The Barriers and Burdens Standing Between Patients and Care
Fact Sheet