Americans Foregoing Necessary Prescriptions to Save Money
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A recent study, reported by the New York Times, indicated that one in seven Americans under 65 did not take prescription medicines in 2007 because of the rising cost of such drugs. The Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C. said that figure has increased since 2003 when it was reported that one in 10 people under 65 went without prescription drugs.
Laurie E. Felland, a senior health researcher at the Center, explained that the current number may be even higher because of the most recent economic troubles.
The people who were least able to afford medicine were often those who needed it most, Ms. Felland said: uninsured, working-age adults suffering from at least one chronic medical condition. Almost two-thirds of them in the survey said they had gone without filling a prescription.
Those Americans in the most serious financial straits had the most difficulty obtaining proper prescription drugs because of such high costs. However, Ms. Felland explained that the rising drug prices are not the only thing causing people to skip necessary medications. This is also due to doctors becoming more reliant on such medications and prescribing them more frequently, new speciality medications and less expansive drug coverage.
Even 10% of those Americans with private health insurance provided by their employers went without such prescriptions drugs in 2007, up from the 8.7% reported in 2003.
Whether you are rich, poor, or middle class, getting necessary health care should not be a struggle. This applies to prescriptions drugs as well as receiving the necessary attention from a health care professional. Perhaps, with a new administration, solutions to these problems are on the not-so-distant horizon.