Following a treatment plan prescribed by your doctor is undoubtedly important. It gives you the best opportunity to manage your condition and maintain the best possible health for yourself. But what do you do if you can’t afford the medicine your doctor recommends?
With prescription medications getting more and more expensive, this is a concern for many people. If your medicine is too pricey, you may not want to fill your medicine in the first place, you may try to ration the medicine you do have, or you may procrastinate getting your next refill. While you may think these tactics are saving you money, they’re not — and they’re also not doing your health any favors.
“Medicine can be really expensive,” says Preeti Parikh, MD, GoodRx's Executive Medical Director and a pediatrician at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “[But] there are many things your doctor can do to help make your prescriptions more affordable for you.”
Preeti Parikh, MD is the Executive Medical Director at GoodRx and served as the Chief Medical Officer of HealthiNation.
Punkaj Khanna is a senior pharmacist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and has special interests in patient education and compliance.
References
American Medical Association. (2023). Medication adherence: Improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.
Kesselheim, A.S., et al. (2016). The high cost of prescription drugs in the United States: Origins and prospects for reform. JAMA.
Montemayor, K. (2002). How to help your low-income patients get prescription drugs. American Academy of Family Physicians.
Sagall, R.J. (2006). Can your patients afford the medications you prescribe? American Academy of Family Physicians.
Taitel, M., et al. (2012). Medication days' supply, adherence, wastage, and cost among chronic patients in Medicaid. Medicare & Medicaid Research Review.
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