One in Ten Americans Can’t Afford to Take Prescribed Medication

Nearly one in ten American adults doesn’t take their medications as prescribed, because they can't afford it. Researchers used data from the two-thousand-thirteen national health survey overall they found nearly eight percent of adults admitted to not taking medication as recommended due to high costs. Insurance was a key factor in whether patients took their medications as prescribed. Among adults younger than sixty-four -- six percent with private insurance skipped medications to save money, compared to more than ten percent of those on Medicaid and fourteen percent of uninsured patients. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services suggests if you're trying to save money on prescription drugs. Take generic or other lower-cost medications, choose an insurance plan that offers additional drug coverage, or apply to Medicare and social security for help in reducing costs. You can find more information on this study in the national center for health statistics data brief.