More Americans struggle to afford their medications, according to a new GoodRx survey. Millions of Americans today don’t take them as prescribed, eat less to cover the cost of their prescriptions, or stop taking them altogether.
Two-thirds of Americans say that the cost of their prescriptions is a financial burden and nearly four in ten of them are worried about being able to afford their medicines. Nearly three in ten of them say that they bought less food or clothing to cover the cost of their medicines. And two in ten say they cut back on their medicines.
About one in eight Americans say their out-of-pocket prescription costs are significant or catastrophic. Another one in five say that their prescriptions present a moderate financial burden. And, more than one in three say that their prescription costs present a minor burden, up about 12 percent from 2024.
In total, two out of three Americans say their prescription drug costs are a financial burden of some sort. For some people, the cost of prescriptions is of greater concern than food, transportation and housing.
Nearly four in ten Americans are concerned about the affordability of their medicines. That’s an increase of more than 40 percent since just last year. With the new tariffs on prescription drug ingredients and nothing yet in place to keep the pharmaceutical companies from raising prices, prescription drug costs are likely to continue to rise for Americans.
To pay for their medicines, 46 percent of Americans reported changing their lifestyles. Nearly three in ten spent less on food or clothing. And, nearly one in seven took on more work to cover the cost of their drugs.
More than four in ten Americans, either borrowed money from a friend, took out a loan or assumed more debt on their credit cards. Thirteen percent of Americans reported not taking a prescribed medicine.
Four in ten Americans reported getting free samples of prescriptions from their doctors to help offset their costs. More than four in ten Americans (43 percent) used a drug discount program. They shouldn’t have to go through so many hoops and would not have to if the US negotiated drug prices for Americans in the same way as England and Japan and other developed countries do for their citizens.
If you’re struggling to pay for your prescription medicines, be aware that some places both within and outside the US sell them at far lower costs than other places. Costco mail order drugs can be lower than other pharmacies. You might also look into ordering drugs from abroad for personal use through pharmacychecker.com.
Lastly, if you’re struggling to pay for your drugs, call your Congressperson and Senators. Ask them to make good on the president’s statement that Americans shouldn’t be paying more than citizens of other wealthy nations for our drugs.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- Millions safely import low-cost drugs from abroad
- Case study: Costco saves one couple hundreds of dollars over Medicare Part D
- Online pharmacies can save you money
- Medicare Part D drug coverage
- GAO finds US drug prices more than four times those in France
