Health Care Crisis: Are You Cutting Back on Prescription Medications to Save Money?

by Catherine Morgan

The New York Times featured an article this week, about how our poor economy, is affecting many patient's ability to buy prescription medications. This isn't a new phenomena, but it is happening on a much larger scale. I've done this myself on more than one occasion. Not only are we putting our personal health at risk when we do thiis, but we also risk profound implications to the health care system.

Although other forces are also in play, like safety concerns over some previously popular drugs and the transition of some prescription medications to over-the-counter sales, many doctors and other experts say consumer belt-tightening is a big factor in the prescription downturn.

The trend, if it continues, could have potentially profound implications.

If enough people try to save money by forgoing drugs, controllable conditions could escalate into major medical problems. That could eventually raise the nation’s total health care bill and lower the nation’s standard of living.

From Angie Drakulich at Pharm Tech Talk...

I have another radio story to share with you....driving to work the other day, I heard a report that 11% of US consumers have cut back on the number of prescription drugs they take or on the dosage of those medications in order to make the prescriptions last longer.

In addition, 22% have reduced the number of times they go to the doctor. The statistics come from a national survey conducted over the summer of 686 consumers by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Americans are essentially putting their health at risk in order to save money, according to the NAIC's press release on the survey.

From Judith Graham...

Getting the medical care you need isn't easy. Resources can be hard to find. Weighing the costs and benefits of proposed interventions can be difficult. Choosing a doctor or a hospital, negotiating with your insurer, staying on top of treatment trends, getting the best care possible -- all these can be nerve-wracking. This blog will bring you useful information, connect you with important resources and highlight the stories of other people like you.

I See the Failure of the Health Care System every day...

I also see patients like those highlighted in this week’s New York Times health section—people deciding not to take some or all of their medications because of the cost. Sure, some of those people will do OK. There are well-documented problems with polypharmacy (when too many medications actually create health problems), particularly in older adults. And not every person at risk for a disease (heart disease and stroke, for instance) will actually get it without being treated.

But many who skimp on their meds to save money will pay the price later, when uncontrolled high blood pressure leads to a stroke, or undertreated diabetes leads to vision loss or heart disease.

From Hilary Lewis from the Business Sheets...

With the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs, it's sort of not surprising that consumers are rationing their doctors' orders. But it is still disconcerting that people are cutting back on prescription medicine. Perhaps the recession will finally lead to a drop in prescription drug prices. Here's hoping.

From Stephanie Miles - When Money Is Tight...

When faced with skyrocketing premiums, deductibles, and prescription drug costs, more people are choosing to skip doctors visits and forego their prescription drugs, according to the article, which found that:

• 22 percent of people surveyed said that they were going to the doctor less often because of money woes, while in a different survey, 11 percent said they were cutting back on filling their prescriptions.
• The number of total prescriptions filled fell 0.5 percent in the first quarter and 1.97 percent in the second, compared with the same periods in 2007 -- the first negative quarters in at least a decade.
• Drugstores like Walgreens are reporting slower sales of prescription drugs.
• Health services company LabCorp. says that blood tests and lab work are down 8 percent in the second quarter of 2008, compared with the 1 percent quarterly growth it usually sees.

Also See:

The Queen B - What I'll Do For Medications

Are High Gas Prices Affecting Your Health?

Have you considered skipping medications because of the cost? Have you considered the implications of that decision on your personal health?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Capessa Health & Fitness