More Americans Forego Prescriptions Due To Cost

One in seven Americans under age 65 went without recommended prescription medications in 2007 due to cost, according to a report released this week. That’s up significantly from just five years prior when the figure was one in 10 Americans.

Rising costs and more limited health care coverage are to blame, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change, the Washington, DC nonprofit that put out the report.

The poor, uninsured and those with chronic health conditions are the most likely to have trouble affording needed drugs, the report says.

As compared with 2003, the 2007 figures show that the biggest growth is in uninsured Americans who are unable to get needed drugs. But, even the number of Americans with employer-sponsored health care who report not being able to afford prescriptions is growing.

And the problems are likely to get worse, predict the study authors.

“The number of Americans who cannot afford prescription medications is likely to grow as the economy continues to decline and the ranks of the uninsured grow,” said Laurie E. Felland, senior health researcher at the center and coauthor of the study.