APRIL 2022 - 1
A P R I L 2 0 2 2
Feature Intro: Cutting Costs: Saving on Prescription Medication As we barrel through 2022, the cost of living is a significant subject of discussion for many Americans. Food prices are rising. Gas is at a 40-year high, impacting everything from the cost to get to the grocery store to the price of airline tickets and more. It seems that everywhere we turn, we’re paying more for what often feels like less. A chief consideration for many senior Americans is the cost of prescription medication. Depending on health insurance plans and medications prescribed, costs can take up a significant chunk of the monthly budget. Of Americans between the ages of 50-64 years, 75% report taking a prescription medication. That percentage jumps to nearly 90% of Americans over the age of 65. With so many Americans relying on prescription medication, the cost of filling these prescriptions becomes an important consideration for many Americans living on fixed incomes with little flexibility to adjust to higher prices and increased costs. In fact, nearly one-fourth of older adults (23%) who take prescription drugs say it is difficult to afford their prescription drugs, including about one in ten (8%) who report paying for meds is “very difficult.” As a result, about one in five older adults (21%) say they did not take their medicines as prescribed at some point in the past year because of the cost. Understanding rising prescription drug prices is a complicated (though worthy) pursuit but identifying ways to save on costs can be an immediate, in-themoment way to curb spending and soften the blow of rising prices. What can you do to decrease your monthly prescription costs while keeping yourself healthy?
continued page 6
CONTENTS ASK THE EXPERT: WORLD PARKINSON’S DAY FEATURE: CUTTING COSTS - SAVING ON PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION FAITH: THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY FROM “WOE” TO “WOW”