The cost of prescription drugs is a priority health care problem in the U.S.
According to a recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF):
- 60% of adults report taking at least one prescription medication and 25% take 4 or more;
- 83% of surveyed adults say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable, but affordability is not an across-the-board issue: 69% say affordability of prescriptions drugs is easy. Affordability is more of a problem the more prescription drugs are required and among people with lower household income and people who are uninsured or under-insured;
- About 30% of people have not taken a medication as prescribed because of cost.
Looking at costs:
- Prescription drug use per person is higher in the U.S. than in any other comparable nation and about double of what is seen in peer nations;
- The U.S. has higher out-of-pocket (OOP) spending on prescription drugs than other countries;
- Generic drugs account for the majority of drugs dispensed in the US, but account for only 20% of US spending on prescription drugs.
Dr. Carole Myers speaks with Dr. Brian Winbigler, a pharmacist and the Knoxville site manager for Alliance for Multispecialty Research.