Category: Press Releases

Today, Americans for Health Excellence (AFHE), launched a seven-figure advertising campaign calling on lawmakers to confront the “foreign freeloading” that forces American patients to subsidize the healthcare systems of wealthy nations.

The launch follows Germany’s announcement of sweeping new mandatory pharmaceutical rebates — a move that deepens the imbalance President Trump has worked to correct through his Most Favored Nation pricing agreements. For decades, wealthy countries like Germany have used government price controls to pay a fraction of what American patients pay for the same medicines, effectively forcing U.S. patients to subsidize their healthcare systems. Germany’s latest mandates are advancing that practice at the precise moment the United States is finally pushing back.

“As a physician and a veteran, I’ve seen firsthand what it costs when Washington fails to stand up for the American patient,” said Dr. Brad Wenstrup, Executive Director of Americans for Health Excellence. “For decades, foreign governments have been exploiting American companies that research, develop, and invent new medicines, driving up costs here while their own citizens pay a fraction of the price. Germany’s latest mandates are just the newest chapter in that same story. President Trump is absolutely right to put America first, and we’re going to ensure lawmakers understand what’s at stake for their constituents.”

The campaign’s opening ad focuses on “foreign freeloading”, highlighting how foreign countries, including Germany, reap the benefits of America’s pharmaceutical inventions while American patients shoulder a disproportionate share of the cost. A March 2026 McLaughlin & Associates survey of 2,000 likely votersfound that 73% of voters support passing legislation that ends the exploitation of America patients shouldering the costs of innovative new treatments and disease cures alone — including 87% of Republicans, 63% of Democrats, and 66% of Independents. A separate question found 79% support a policy that would require foreign countries to pay their fair share for American medicines, enabling American companies to invest those returns in U.S. healthcare infrastructure like hospitals and telehealth.

AFHE’s broader campaign will build on the momentum of President Trump’s TrumpRx initiative and his Most Favored Nation voluntary agreements — supported by 73% of voters — and press Congress to deliver the next wave of patient wins: holding insurers and hospitals accountable for their share of healthcare costs, expanding direct savings at the pharmacy counter, and passing legislation that ensures foreign nations contribute their fair share permanently.

ABOUT AMERICANS FOR HEALTH EXCELLENCE 

Americans for Health Excellence (AFHE) is a 501(c)(4) health policy organization dedicated to building a healthcare system that puts patients first — lowering costs, expanding access, and ensuring every American has the tools and information to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves and their families. AFHE advances market-based solutions while engaging all in the healthcare system on behalf of patient health.

For more information, visit AmericansforHealthExcellence.org.

 

Washington, D.C. — Today, Americans for Health Excellence (AFHE), released a new national poll finding health insurance costs are the single greatest healthcare concern facing American voters today and that broad, bipartisan majorities are demanding action from insurers.

The survey also reveals support for a number of market-based solutions to lower what Americans pay for prescription drugs and medical care, including many policies included in the President’s Great American Health Plan.

“For the sake of our nation and her health, American patients need relief, and they need it now,” said Dr. Brad Wenstrup, AFHE executive director. “America is the greatest country in the world for medical innovation and cures, and Congress has an extraordinary opportunity to protect that legacy while delivering on the affordability agenda President Trump started. There is more that we can do.”

KEY FINDINGS 

Ending “Foreign Freeloading” Has Broad Backing 
Nearly three-quarters of voters (72%) say it is time for other countries to pay their fair share for American medicines. Support for specific legislative action is even higher: 81% back using trade negotiations to demand fair pricing from foreign nations, and 73% support legislation explicitly ending “foreign freeloading” on U.S. drug innovation.

Health Insurance Costs Are Voters’ #1 Healthcare Concern and Voters Want Accountability  
Fifty-one percent of voters name the cost of health insurance as their top healthcare concern—rising to 69% when combined with voters’ second choice. The remaining concerns are fragmented: cost of hospital bills (11%), cost of medicines (10%), quality of care (10%), access to healthcare (7%), and patient choice in doctors or treatments (6%). The dominance of insurance costs holds across party lines and is especially acute among voters with private insurance (76% combined) and seniors (72% combined).

The survey’s sharpest finding is that 91% of voters, including strong majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, support requiring insurers to pass manufacturer discounts directly to patients rather than keeping them. Eighty-four percent want insurers to publicly disclose their revenue, overhead, and profit margins, and 83% support publishing claim rejection rates and average wait times.

When asked whether taxpayer subsidies to large insurance companies should be redirected to families to buy coverage of their choice, voters backed the idea 81 to 11. Requiring insurers to publish revenues and ending insurance subsidies are both central provisions of President Trump’s Great American Health Plan.

Pocketbook Solutions Command the Highest Voter Support Across the Board
The most popular proposals which draw the strongest support are those that put direct, tangible savings in patients’ hands. Eighty-eight percent of voters back allowing manufacturer co-pay cards for seniors in Medicare, 86% support expanding the number of brand-name medicines available at discounted cash-pay pricing through a government website, and 83% favor both a flat out-of-pocket cap per prescription in Medicare and cash-pay credits that count toward insurance deductibles.

Voluntary Deals Beat Government Mandates 
On prescription drug pricing, voters draw a clear distinction between negotiations and mandates. By nearly two-to-one (55 to 29%), respondents said voluntary price negotiations between the federal government and drug manufacturers are more productive than government-dictated prices through law or executive order. Three-quarters (73%) specifically back President Trump’s Most Favored Nation voluntary pricing approach.

Voter sentiment was firm: 83% say that with pharmaceutical manufacturers already at the table, it is time for insurers and hospitals to do their part—a view shared by 93% of Republicans, 81% of Independents, and 75% of Democrats.

ABOUT THE POLL 

McLaughlin & Associates conducted a survey among 2,000 likely voters between March 10–14, 2026. All interviews were conducted online. The interview distribution and demographics reflect a 2026 general election turnout model. The accuracy of the sample of 2,000 likely voters is within +/- 2.2% at a 95% confidence interval. Numbers in this survey have been rounded and may not equal 100%.

ABOUT AMERICANS FOR HEALTH EXCELLENCE 

Americans for Health Excellence (AFHE) is a 501(c)(4) health policy organization dedicated to building a healthcare system that puts patients first — lowering costs, expanding access, and ensuring every American has the tools and information to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves and their families. AFHE advances market-based solutions while engaging all in the healthcare system on behalf of patient health.

For more information, visit AmericansforHealthExcellence.org.

Washington, D.C. — Americans for Health Excellence (AFHE), a new patient-centered healthcare policy coalition, officially launched today under the leadership of former Congressman, combat surgeon, and physician Dr. Brad Wenstrup.

AFHE is committed to advocating for policies that position America as the best place in the world to be a patient. The organization believes that achieving health excellence requires meaningful policy discussions that define true success — and a willingness to hold every part of the system accountable for delivering more affordable and accessible care to patients.

AFHE serves as a policy and advocacy hub, engaging policymakers, the media, and the public with data-driven research and healthcare policy expertise. Our efforts focus across three core pillars:

• Improve Patient Access, Affordability, and Choice — championing market-driven solutions that lower what patients pay out-of-pocket
• Protect U.S. Innovation, Economic Leadership & the American Healthcare Workforce — ensuring America remains the global leader in medical breakthroughs and an engine for American job
• Preserve Fair & Free Markets — holding our healthcare system accountable through transparency and competition

“When we lower costs, expand access, incentivize American innovation, and protect the doctor-patient relationship, we empower individuals to make the best medical decisions for themselves and their families,” said Wenstrup.

“As a doctor, I’ve sat across from patients who had to choose between their healthcare and their groceries. As a congressman, I fought to fix the system that put patients in so many difficult positions. AFHE will aim to bring forward real policy solutions to the health challenges Americans are facing,” added Wenstrup.

Dr. Wenstrup represented Ohio’s Second Congressional District for more than a decade and previously served on the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and chaired the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Dr. Wenstrup also co-chaired the GOP Doctors Caucus. Before Congress, he spent more than 27 years treating patients in Southwest Ohio. COL (Ret.) Wenstrup served 25 years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and is an Iraq War Veteran.

About Americans for Health Excellence

Americans for Health Excellence (AFHE) is a 501(c)(4) health policy organization dedicated to building a healthcare system that puts patients first — lowering costs, expanding access, and ensuring every American has the tools and information to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves and their families. AFHE advances market-based solutions while engaging all in the healthcare system on behalf of patient health. For more information, visit AmericansforHealthExcellence.org