High Prescription Drug Costs—Your Story
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2003-05-27 12:28:00-04:00
Do you have trouble with high prescription drug costs?
Believe it or not, many elected officials and members of the media still think that prescription drug prices are only a problem for a few individuals. They believe that it only affects individuals with low incomes. They don't understand that millions of older Floridians without prescription coverage have to make difficult choices every day due to the astronomical costs of medication. They don't understand that even those with private prescription coverage are faced with increasingly bleak situations as employer retirement plans phase out prescription drug coverage and Medicare HMOs increase premiums and co-pays, lower annual caps, or simply pull out of their states. They don't seem to realize that these are real people with real needs, not just numbers in a budget.
AARP Florida is collecting stories to share with elected officials and members of the media, because we believe that if more attention is focused on how hard it is for the average person on a fixed income to cover their prescription drug costs, our elected officials may begin to listen.
You may be exactly the type of person we are looking for if you are on Medicare and any of the following apply to you:
- You currently have to pay for some or all of your prescription drugs out of your own pocket.
- You would not likely qualify for low-income programs like Medicaid, but are still paying a large percentage of your income for prescription drugs.
- You have (or had) prescription coverage through a private plan, but the premiums have increased and/or the benefits have been reduced.
- You have had to make significant life changes—such as going back to work or moving in with family—in order to afford prescriptions.
- You skip doses or don't fill prescriptions because you cannot afford to take the medication like your doctor prescribed it.
If you've had to change your lifestyle because of the unexpectedly high cost of your prescriptions, please let us know. Send your story to flresponse@aarp.org. If we can use your story, an AARP staff member will contact you before we do so.
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