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Published: January 22, 2009
More children and working-age Americans are going without prescription drugs because of cost concerns, according to a new national study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). In 2007, one in seven Americans under age 65 reported not filling a prescription in the previous year because they couldn’t afford the medication, up from one in 10 in 2003. Rising prescription drug costs and less generous drug coverage likely contributed to the growth in nonelderly Americans—from 10.3 percent in 2003 to 13.9 percent in 2007—who went without a prescribed medication. The most vulnerable people—those with low incomes, chronic conditions and the uninsured—continue to face the greatest unmet prescription drug needs. Uninsured, working-age Americans saw the biggest jump in unmet prescription drug needs between 2003 and 2007, with the proportion rising from 26 percent to almost 35 percent. At the same time, a growing proportion of working-age Americans with employer-sponsored insurance reported going without prescription medications. 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.
The Impact Of Consumer-Directed Health Plans On Prescription Drug Use
By:
Greene J, Hibbard J, Murray JF, Teutsch SM and Berger ML
Publication date:
July/August 2008
Summary:
This study examined patterns in prescription drug use in the first year that consumer-directed health plans were offered alongside traditional plans.
Insurance, Prescription Coverage and Pricing: Employer Health Insurance Offerings and Employee Enrollment Decisions
By:
Polsky D, Stein R, Nicholson S and Bundorf MK
Publication date:
October 2005
Summary:
Health benefits offered to workers vary considerably among employers. While the relationship between the structure of an employer's benefits and enrollment by employees is increasingly important, little is known about how employer health benefit decisions influence...
The Community Safety Net and Prescription Drug Access for Low-Income, Uninsured People
By:
Felland LE, Taylor EF and Gerland AM
Publication date:
April 2006
Summary:
While the new Medicare drug benefit has helped alleviate concerns about prescription drug access for elderly and disabled Americans, many low-income, uninsured people under age 65 continue to rely on community safety nets to get needed medications. As the number of...