Over Half Of Medicare Beneficiaries At High Risk Of Hospitalization Do Not Take Medication Regularly Due To Cost Concerns

About 53.6% of Medicare beneficiaries at high risk of hospitalization reported not taking a medication as directed because they could not afford the medication. Of those who reported cost-related non-adherence (CRN), about 28.4% reported persistently not filling or delaying filling prescriptions, skipping or splitting doses due to cost. Younger beneficiaries, those with worse self-reported health, and those with depression had a higher likelihood of persistent CRN.

People with depression were 58% more likely to report persistent CRN. People with cardiovascular disease were 10% more likely to report persistent CRN. People with cancer were 6% less . . .