By Phil Galewitz, KAISER HEALTH NEWS

Nearly three in four Americans say the costs of prescription drugs are “unreasonable” — and most blame drugmakers for those prices, according to a poll released Tuesday.

The survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found 74 percent of those taking prescription drugs say the costs are unreasonable, as do 72 percent of those not taking such drugs. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

The poll builds on the results of an earlier Kaiser survey in April that identified high drug costs as the public’s top health care priority for Congress and the president. Drug costs have gained attention in the past year in part as a result of controversies surrounding Sovaldi and other new hepatitis C drugs, which can cure most cases of the deadly liver disease but at a price of $84,000 for a 12-week treatment.

The high cost has strained Medicaid and Medicare budgets and left private insurers scrambling. Half the public say they take prescription drugs. More than three quarters of those say they are easy to afford, with only one in five saying they have difficulty paying for them. But about a quarter of respondents said they or a family member have not filled a prescription in the past year, while 18 percent have cut pills in half or skipped doses to save money, the poll found.

More than three-quarters of the public cited drug company profits as the No. 1 reason for the high costs, followed by the expense of medical research (64 percent), the cost of marketing (54 percent) and the cost of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies (49 percent). About 10 percent of respondents also blame insurance companies, saying they require enrollees to shoulder too great a share of drug costs.

The survey also found most Americans are still not paying attention to the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act in a case called King v. Burwell.

The Supreme Court is expected to decide this month whether to cut off government subsidies to millions of people in about three dozen states — including Kansas — that rely on a federal insurance marketplace rather than a state-based marketplace. About 72 percent of respondents say they have heard little or nothing about the case.

However, the survey found more than half of respondents were “very” or fairly closely” following news about the 2016 presidential campaign. About 39 percent of respondents said they were closely following news about the House of

Representatives banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy — the most closely followed health policy issue. The poll of 1,200 adults, conducted from June 2 to June 9, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

HUTCHINSON – Law enforcement authorities say the fatal officer involved shooting Tuesday morning in Hutchinson is connected to the body found near Nickerson on Monday.

Just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, officers fired shots and killed Jonathan P. Wilson, 22, at a residence in the 8 Hundred Block of Van Buren. The shooting ended a dangerous situation involving two children at the home.

Wilson is considered a suspect in the case of the woman’s body found Monday afternoon according to Police.

Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson says after receiving some tips from the public, law enforcement authorities say they believe that they now know the identity of the woman which is the focus of a suspicious death investigation.

However, positive identification cannot be made until confirmation from the Coroners Office at the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center.

The Sheriff’s Office along with the KBI began investigating a body found in a small creek near 43rd & Riverton Road.

A passerby discovered the woman’s body Monday afternoon.

The female was wearing dark athletic clothing and had numerous tattoos.

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HUTCHINSON- Law enforcement authorities in Hutchinson are investigating an officer involved shooting.

Hutchinson Police say just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, officers were dispatched to 811 North Van Buren for a “trouble with subject” call.

Police say the reporting party claimed that the subject confessed to committing a murder and had been armed with a knife.

As officers responded, they were confronted with an irate man in the residence along with three small children. The man made threats of harm against the officers. He then began breaking windows out of the residence from inside.

The officers quickly became concerned for the welfare of the children and as the officers removed the children from the residence, the man threw objects at the officers including a knife.

Officers fired shots from their patrol rifles and ended this dangerous situation resulting in the death of 22-year-old Jonathan P. Wilson.

The investigation into this officer involved shooting is being led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

NEW YORK (AP) — Niagara Bottling has recalled 14 brands of bottled spring water produced at two Pennsylvania manufacturing plants after the operator of one of its contracted springs failed to reveal evidence of E. coli bacteria at the spring source.

The company said E. coli bacteria was found in the water supply on June 10, but that there has been no E. coli contamination detected in its finished products or in the spring water delivered to its bottling facility. It has not received any complaints of injury or illness.

E. coli can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting.

Niagara Bottling LLC is recalling spring water products made at two plants in Pennsylvania between 3 a.m. Eastern on June 10 and 8 p.m. on June 18. The facilities are located in Hamburg and Allentown.

The water is labeled under brands including Acadia, Acme, Big Y, Best Yet, 7-11, Niagara, Nature’s Place, Pricerite, Superchill, Morning Fresh, Shaws, Shoprite, Western Beef Blue and Wegman’s.

Consumers should not drink the affected water without boiling it first to kill bacteria and other organisms. The company also suggests using other bottled water.

Niagara Bottling is no longer using the spring source because the operator did not notify the company of the incident in a timely manner.

Consumers may contact Niagara Bottling at 877-487-7873 for more information.