Rx News

Americans are so short on cash they are doing without prescription drugs and skipping doctor visits

Phyllis Furman

September 13, 2012

It's enough to make you sick. People are so strapped for cash these days, they can't afford their drugs and are doing without medical tests and procedures, a new survey from Consumer Reports has found.

Nearly one-half of Americans under the age of 65 who don't have prescription drug insurance are not filling their prescriptions because of the cost, up from 27% last year.

Six out of ten declined a medical test, 63% put off a doctor's visit to save money - and 51% delayed a medical procedure.

Overall, a whopping 81% said that over the past 12 months they have been trying to cut corners to cope. That's up from 65% last year.

"We were shocked," Lisa Gill, Consumer Reports' prescription drugs editor told the Daily News.

Problems paying for medical bills and medications is the No.1 financial woe Americans face today - more than meeting mortgage payments or paying big household bills, Consumer Reports said.

More than half of the people surveyed and 84% of those age 65 who don't have drug coverage said they've been forced to make big sacrifices in their budgeting.

Those include cutting what they spend on groceries, entertainment and family activities, and relying more on credit cards.

"They are falling behind, they are struggling," Gill said. "It's bleeding into everything."

People with drug coverage spend about $54 a month in out-of-pocket costs. The uninsured pay two-thirds more: $91 a month, taking a big bite out of family budgets.

Patients are reluctant to share their money woes with their doctors, even though their doctors are in a good position to help them cut their expenses, the survey found.

There are ways to reduce your drug costs.

Consumer Reports recommends several strategies, including asking your doctor for the generic equivalent of a drug, joining generic discount programs at drug chains and big-box retailers, and splitting pills when appropriate.

For more cost-cutting tips, go to ConsumerReports.org.