Health & Medicine
1 in 8 Americans Skip their Medications to Save Money
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Apr 12, 2013 09:45 AM EDT
According to a new government report, approximately one in eight working-age adults say they have skipped doses of their medications or even delayed filling prescriptions in order to save a little bit of money.
The information indicates that 12.6 percent of adults between ages 18 and 64 said they had not taken medication as prescribed in order to avoid paying for costly drugs. Among adults ages 65 and older, 5.8 percent said the same.
However, those who do not regularly take their medications are more likely to end up in the emergency room, be hospitalized, and are at a greater risk for a heart attack or stroke, according to the report from the Centers of the Disease Control and Prevention.
The report was aimed at allowing researchers to track the strategies adults use to reduce their prescription drug costs. In 2011, Americans spent $45 billion on prescription drugs.
A great range of people, in fact, delay filling their prescriptions in order to save money. For 18- to 64-year-olds, 10.6 percent delayed filling for this reason, 8.5 percent took less medication than prescribed (for example, by cutting pills in half) and 8.2 percent skipped doses, all together.
Those living at or near the poverty line, and those without insurance were more likely to not take medication as prescribed to reduce their drug costs.
Statistics show that about one in five adults have talked to their doctors about lower-cost medication for different ways to save money. A small percentage of people said they also went a bit further, such as buying medications from other countries or using alternative therapies to cope with a current health issue.
The report for this article is based on the results of a national 2011 survey.
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First Posted: Apr 12, 2013 09:45 AM EDT
According to a new government report, approximately one in eight working-age adults say they have skipped doses of their medications or even delayed filling prescriptions in order to save a little bit of money.
The information indicates that 12.6 percent of adults between ages 18 and 64 said they had not taken medication as prescribed in order to avoid paying for costly drugs. Among adults ages 65 and older, 5.8 percent said the same.
However, those who do not regularly take their medications are more likely to end up in the emergency room, be hospitalized, and are at a greater risk for a heart attack or stroke, according to the report from the Centers of the Disease Control and Prevention.
The report was aimed at allowing researchers to track the strategies adults use to reduce their prescription drug costs. In 2011, Americans spent $45 billion on prescription drugs.
A great range of people, in fact, delay filling their prescriptions in order to save money. For 18- to 64-year-olds, 10.6 percent delayed filling for this reason, 8.5 percent took less medication than prescribed (for example, by cutting pills in half) and 8.2 percent skipped doses, all together.
Those living at or near the poverty line, and those without insurance were more likely to not take medication as prescribed to reduce their drug costs.
Statistics show that about one in five adults have talked to their doctors about lower-cost medication for different ways to save money. A small percentage of people said they also went a bit further, such as buying medications from other countries or using alternative therapies to cope with a current health issue.
The report for this article is based on the results of a national 2011 survey.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone