Your healthcare provider prescribes medications because they are necessary to keep you in the best possible health given your underlying medical conditions. Missing doses of your medications to save them for later puts your health at risk.
Despite the risks, however, many Americans ration medications and put their lives on the line. It is often because they cannot afford their medications. An AARP study reported that, in 2017, 28% of people less than 65 years of age stopped taking their prescription medication because of cost concerns.
Likewise, the 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll found that approximately one-fourth of adults, including seniors, found it a challenge to pay for their medications. Almost a third (29%) did not take their medications as prescribed; 19% did not fill their medication; 18% took an over-the-counter drug instead; and 12% cut their pills in half or skipped doses.
Perhaps one of the biggest examples of this is seen in people who have diabetes. Yale researchers published a study in JAMA Internal Medicine showing that one in four people do not follow through with their insulin treatment as prescribed.
Complications of not treating the condition can include heart disease, kidney disease, peripheral neuropathy, retinopathy, and even death. Unfortunately, the price of insulin has increased considerably over the past decade. The AARP study referenced above found a more than 62% price increase in Lantus, a notable brand of insulin, over five years.4
Thankfully, in 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first biosimilar form of insulin (Semglee), paving the way for cost-effective alternatives to brands such as Lantus.