Please respond to the 2 following discussion posts separately with separate reference lists. References to be no older than 5 years.
1. Christina Hua posted Nov 24, 2022 12:36 PM
Medication non-adherence is a growing issue worldwide. According to Cutler et al. (2019), medication non-adherence is highly associated with the cost of prescriiption medication. Which is a significant issue because if patients do not adhere to medications, it could interfere with the effectiveness of the treatment plan (Culter et al., 2019). Therefore, when providing care for individuals, it is vital also to consider the cost and if the patient is able to afford or access the prescriiption.
In the United States, individuals spend approximately $1500 annually on prescriiption medications (CMS, 2022). Government programs, such as Medicare party D, help patients with low income to access affordable medicines by reducing the cost of prescriiption medications. Due to the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare is able to negotiate new lower medication prices (CMS, 2022). This new program, well increased access to innovative and unique treatment options at a lower price (CMS, 2022).
Another way to help lower prescriiption cost is by prescribing generic forms of medication. Studies have shown that generic drugs are comparable to brand-name drugs and that the clinical outcomes are very similar (Desai et al., 2019). Generic drugs contain the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs for a lower price (Desai et al., 2019).
During my clinical rotation, I learned that the GoodRx is a great way to compare prescriiption pricing, and it also has coupons. Also, some medication sites have programs that are directly linked to the company that helps patient access medication for free or at a discounted price.
References
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (2022). The inflation reduction act lowers health care costs for million of americans. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/inflation-reduction-act-lowers-health-care-costs-millions-americans
Cutler, R. L., Van der Linden, N., Shalom I (Charlie) Benrimoj, Fernandez-Llimos, F., & Garcia-Cardenas, V. (2019). An evidence-based model to consolidate medication adherence cost estimation: The medication adherence cost estimation framework. Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, 8(8), 555-555–567. doi:https://doi.org/10.2217/cer-2018-0099
Desai, R. J., Sarpatwari, A., Dejene, S., Khan, N. F., Lii, J., Rogers, J. R., Dutcher, S. K., Raofi, S., Bohn, J., Connolly, J. G., Fischer, M. A., Kesselheim, A. S., & Gagne, J. J. (2019). Comparative effectiveness of generic and brand-name medication use: A database study of US health insurance claims. PLoS medicine, 16(3), e1002763. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.100276
2. Judy Nguyen posted Nov 24, 2022 6:43 AMLast edited: Thursday, November 24, 2022 6:43 AM PST
It is often a financial burden when obtaining prescriiptions for patients with lack of health insurance. In the state of Washington, there are many people who are uninsured, underinsured, or those who have no option for health insurance. As a result, this can lead to non-adherence to obtaining prescribed medications or adhering to medication regimen. With continuous of non-adhering, this may lead to complication, such as worsening of disease, disability, and even death (AMA, 2020). Although there are many resources to assist this client population, it is also important that providers and staff are mindful when prescribing medications that are cost efficient to the patients.
Washington has a couple of programs to help patients obtain medications for free or at a low cost which include:
Prescriiption Drug Assistance Foundation: This is a program that assist residents in the State of Washington who has inadequate prescriiption drug coverage even if they have Medicaid, private insurance, or healthcare exchange (Prescriiption Drug Assistance Foundation, 2022).
ArrayRx Card: The Washington Prescriiption Drug Program was changed to ArrayRx recently and provides the same assistant. This program provides prescriiption drug discounts for those who don’t have prescriiption drug coverage. Anyone in the state of Washington can sign up for this program for free. There is no restriction on age or income. This program is used to cover prescriiptions that are not covered through people’s insurance plan or those with Medicare that does not have Part D coverage (Washington State Health Care Authority, 2022).
There are several prescriiption companies that offer mail in rebates and coupons for pharmaceuticals that selected patients can use if they need help with coverage. GoodRx is also another resource as they can discount up to 80% of certain drugs (AMA, 2020).
References:
AMA. (2020). 8 reasons why patients don’t take their medications. Retrieved from https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/patient-support-advocacy/8-reasons-patients-dont-take-their-medications
Washington State Health Care Authority. (2022). Get help paying for prescriiptions. Wa.gov. https://www.hca.wa.gov/free-or-low-cost-health-care/get-help-paying-prescriiptions
Prescriiption Drug Assistance Foundation. (2022). Prescriiption Drug Assistance Foundation. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://prescriiptiondrugassistance.org/
