High Pharmaceutical Costs Affect Medication Access & Adherence For 5% Of American Adults

High pharmaceutical costs negatively affected medication access and adherence for about 13 million adults in the United States, representing about 5% of the adult population in 2018 and 2019. Access and adherence were based on consumer responses to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for 2018 and 2019 to questions about prescribed medications obtained by the respondent or family members. Additional payment information is collected in a follow-up telephone survey of a sample of the households’ pharmacy providers. In the MEPS, an adult is considered to have an unmet need for prescription medications if they reported that they did . . .