Category: Medication Adherence

Drug Discount Card, Medication Adherence, Patient Assistance, Prescription Drugs
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Skipping Prescriptions Due to Costs

A new study from the National Center for Health Statistics has found that 8% of Americans don’t take their medicines as prescribed because they cannot afford them.  Nearly 20% of prescriptions never get filled. Approximately 15% of respondents reported asking their doctors for a lower-cost alternative, and 2% admitted to having bought prescription drugs from another country.  With 82% of Americans being prescribed at least one prescription medication, the numbers can become alarming for anyone.

In previous blog posts we have discussed the lengths people will go to save money, such as spending less ongroceries or entertainment, relying more on credit cards, postponing paying other bills, or applying for government assistance.  Others took more dangerous measures, such as putting off a doctor’s visit, declining a test, delaying a procedure, or cutting dosages without first talking to a doctor or pharmacist.

No one should have to sacrifice their health due to a lack in finances. For those unable to afford their medications, NeedyMeds has an extensive database of

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Health, Medication Adherence, Patient Assistance, Prescription Drugs
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Americans Still Taking Risks with Needed Medications

Plus: How to lower your drug costs

Americans take a lot of medicines – and many resort to risky behaviors to afford them. That’s according to a recent national telephone poll by public-education project Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs.  Forty-four percent of Americans take an average of 4.5 prescription drugs; 16 percent say they take 7 or more.

To afford those medications, more than half (57 percent) of those polled reported taking steps in the last year—some of them potentially dangerous—to curb high drug costs. That included not filling a prescription (17 percent), skipping a scheduled dose (14 percent), and taking an expired medication (14 percent).

The cost of medications affect people’s wallets in other ways, too. Three in 10 (29 percent) reported cutting back on entertainment and dining out; 19 percent spent less on groceries, and 15 percent put off paying other bills in order to afford their prescription drugs. And, people without drug coverage from their insurance were hit the hardest.

What to do if you face high costs

Don’t wait for your doctor to bring up the cost of medications—he or she may not. Instead,  ask

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Medication Adherence, Prescription Drugs
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Price Shopping Pharmacies To Save On Meds

Sumanah was a 26 year old event planner in New York City when suddenly diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  Sumanah was like many typical 26 year olds, without health insurance and no savings capable of paying for her medical bills. Taking 10 medications for her condition, Sumanah was paying full price at what she “thought” was the cheapest pharmacy. After she discovered that not only were some pharmacies cheaper for the same exact medication, she learned that some pharmacies can be upwards of 16 times more expensive than another pharmacy right across the street. Using this information, Sumanah was able to price shop for the right pharmacy and save a lot on her prescription costs. This story, although not uncommon, shows how important shopping around for medications can be.

In their May issue, Consumer Reports published an article confirming the experience Sumanah and many others have each time they go to fill a prescription. The study focuses on five of the most prescribed medications in the U.S. and reviews more

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Medication Adherence, Prescription Drugs
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Why do kids have unfilled prescriptions?

You take your sick child to the doctor. An exam is done, a diagnosis made, a prescription written, and instructions given to the parent. The next step: a trip to the pharmacy to have the prescription filled so the child can start the medicine as soon as possible. Right? Why, then, did a recent study reveal that up to 25% of children’s prescriptions remain unfilled?

Investigators are currently examining whether electronic prescriptions are filled more often (because the patient does not have the opportunity to lose or misplace it), or if, in fact a written prescription serves as a tangible reminder to go to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled.

Other researchers are looking at the rate of prescriptions being filled as a result of a well-child visit versus that of a sick-child visit. Some early findings are showing that prescriptions given at sick-child visits are filled more often than those given at well-child visits.

For the uninsured and underinsured, the costs of prescription medications can be daunting. Even for those who have health insurance, co-pays and deductibles mean that many still struggle to afford the costs of

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Medication Adherence, Prescription Drugs
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Your Good Health: Medication Adherence

Last month, many of us made New Year’s resolutions and we were being deluged with advice about how to eat sensibly, how to exercise our way to fitness, and how to develop and keep healthy habits. But let’s get down to basics: how well do you follow your doctor’s advice?

Doctors will be increasingly held accountable for your overall health and wellness, and your progress towards sustained good health, under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA aims to increase the quality of care given and reduce the costs, thereby ensuring that the right care is given in the right place at the right time. More care has not proven to be better care, and reducing unnecessary and expensive screens and tests will go a long way to reducing health care costs.

But patients have a responsibility too – and that is to listen to your physician and follow their recommendations regarding nutrition, exercise and taking your medications as prescribed. “Medication adherence” or “medication compliance” are terms used to describe what patients do once they receive a prescription from their provider, including filling, and then re-filling when indicated,

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Welcome to the NeedyMeds Voice! We look forward to presenting you with timely, provocative pieces on healthcare reform, patient advocacy, medication and healthcare access, and other health-related news. Our goals are to educate, enlighten, and elucidate; together, we will try to make sense of the myriad and ongoing healthcare-related changes in the U.S. today.