While the cost of prescription medication continues to increase, many Americans just simply do not have adequate personal medical insurance coverage for this expense and they need prescription drug help. In the United States, actual spending on prescription drugs went up 17.4% from 2005 to 2006 while the average cost of prescription drugs rose 10.2%. This everyone but creates a real burden on lower income, uninsured Americans who may be forced to choose between paying for much needed prescription medicine or food and housing. A recent Harris Poll of 1300 adults found that 23% of those surveyed had not filled at least 1 prescription for medicine during the year in order to save money. The problem is even greater in households with lower incomes. In households with incomes less than $25,000, 40% did not fill at least 1 prescription, and 30% took prescription medication less often than prescribed to save money.
It is estimated that close to 12% of all hospitalizations are because the patient wasn’t taking the medicine that their physician prescribed. For the vast majority it was because they couldn’t afford it. This creates a real burden for local hospitals and communities because if the patient couldn’t afford their medication, how are they going to be able to afford to pay the hospital bill?
