New Poll: Nine in Ten Granite Staters Say Insurance Companies Have Too Much Power Over Patient Care

A new Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center for the PBM Accountability Project of New Hampshire finds that about nine in ten New Hampshire residents believe health insurance companies have too much control over the care patients receive. This view holds across party lines.

Bipartisan majorities of Granite staters agree: insurance companies have too much say over what doctors can prescribe, and what medicines patients can access - sending a clear message to the state's congressional delegation to advocate for insurance reforms. Patients and providers, not insurance companies or their middlemen, should be making treatment decisions.

Key findings include:

• 92% of residents agree (76% strongly agree) that insurance companies prioritize their profits ahead of patients, creating barriers that can delay or restrict access to treatments prescribed by health care providers.

• 90% agree (72% strongly agree) that when it comes to choosing the best treatment for a patient, health insurance companies have too much power over what providers can prescribe.

• 88% agree that Congress should do more to enact important health insurance reforms to bring down the cost of healthcare in the U.S.

• 97% of Democrats, 88% of independents, and 83% of Republicans agree that insurers have too much power over what providers can prescribe.

• On whether insurers put profits ahead of patients, agreement stands at 99% of Democrats, 94% of independents, and 85% of Republicans.

• Large majorities of all three groups (99% of Democrats, 84% of independents, and 78% of Republicans) say Congress should do more on health insurance reform.

The PBM Accountability Project of New Hampshire will continue to advocate for reforms to hold insurance and their vertically integrated middlemen accountable to help lower prescription costs for Granite Staters, and all Americans.

Methodology: The UNH Survey Center included three questions for the PBM Accountability Project of New Hampshire on its September 2026 Granite State Poll. It surveyed 1,542 New Hampshire residents online between September 17 and September 21, 2026. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2.5 percentage points. Respondents are members of the Granite State Panel, which is recruited through random sampling of landline and cell phone numbers, text messages, and mailing addresses. Data were weighted by sex, age, education, region, party registration, and 2024 election results. Key health insurance-related findings are available HERE.