As Insurance Co-Pays Increase, People Do Without Their Medications
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Many articles have been written about how the economy has affected people who have no health insurance and have to pay cash for their medications and medical supplies. The high cost of prescription medications have caused many of these people to cut their pills in half or take their pills every other day instead of daily. Some are even splitting their blood glucose testing strips in half to get 2 tests from one! Studies have shown that by not taking or by skimping on medicines, symptoms and outcomes worsened and the rates of heart attacks and strokes have increased.
Now, research is showing that even people who HAVE insurance are being affected. New studies has shown that as co-pay amounts doubled, the percentage of patients who had started their medications dropped. As an example, it was found that "five years after their diagnosis, about 82 percent of people with hypertension had begun taking the drugs they needed to get their blood pressure under control, versus only about 66 percent of those whose co-pays were twice as much"
If you are experiencing difficulty paying for your medications, shop around for the best price. If you have insurance but pay high co-pays, search for a pharmacy that may be able to help you save money on your co-pays. Check out the website www.FocusPharmacy.com and see if Focus can help reduce your co-pay payment.
