Numerous prescriptions move the treatment worldview toward counteractive action by permitting patients to stay away from costly hospitalizations and long term care. As indicated by an investigation, “The U.S. health care system could spare $213 billion every year if pharmaceuticals were utilized appropriately.” (American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, n.d.)
Fixed income seniors who lack adequate health insurance are especially affected by lack of access to low-cost medications. When doses are skipped, the results can be deadly!
This question has many caveats that can determine an answer either way dependent on one’s perspective from either a professional lens or as an information seekers perspective lens, or the average person thinks this could be me maybe I need this? This question is subjective in many ways. As Gregory and Slovic states, for some people the question about prescription drugs rarely arises, however, for to others that face serious health problems this question may arise weekly, or monthly, and the conversation leads to decisions that have weighty effects on the quality and duration of their lives (p.,347). We need to see things form every point of view which makes me believe that it really depends on the patient /consumers point in their lives
The rise in costs of prescription medicines affects all sectors of the health care industry, including private insurers, public programs, and patients. Spending on prescription drugs continues to be an important health care concern, particularly in light of rising pharmaceutical costs, the aging population, and increased use of costly specialty drugs. In recent history, increases in prescription drug costs have outpaced other categories of health care spending, rising rapidly throughout the latter half of the 1990s and early 2000s. (Kaiseredu.org, 2012).
In the modern age of technological and medical advancements such as organ transplants and robotic limbs, Americans have developed unrealistic expectations about prescription drugs. The false belief that the right pill in the right dosage can cure all has led to a national epidemic: over prescription. Since the 1970s, the average American’s expenditure on prescription drugs has doubled because not only are new treatments for almost every ailment now available, but they are also aggressively advertised on television, the internet, and social media. At the same time that the American population confronts health issues associated with rising age, obesity, and stress levels, prescription drugs promise a quick fix for everything from depression to acne to insomnia leading to a one pill fix all.
Anyone who has purchased prescription medications has probably wondered why they cost so much, and rightfully so. Medication prices in the United States have been on a steady increase for decades, however, prices have been drastically increasing as of recent. Pharmaceutical companies have tried to justify these price increases due to the demand, the high cost of research, and the high costs of development and approval. Notwithstanding, the extent to which the prices have increased is not justifiable. Americans should be against these high medication prices and take action because pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of our health care system in order to capitalize from the sick. In order shed some light on this issue, we must examine the magnitude, scope, and consequences of these rises in price.
Many patients are finding it more difficult to afford their prescription medications. Comparing health care expenditures in the United States, prescription drug costs rank third compared to hospital expenses and physician services (Omojasola, Hernandez, Sansgiry, & Jones, 2012, p. 479). The rising cost of prescription drugs is concerning to many patients. “The high out-of-pocket prescription drug cost is associated with medication non-adherence and adverse health outcomes” Omojasola, et al., 2012, p. 480).
In the context of the War on Drugs, physicians must balance many different competing and contradictory interests when determining how to prescribe in treating a patient. The physician's first interest is in maintaining his duty to properly
We in America tend to take medications for almost any problem we have, from headaches to gastrointestinal pain, to more serious chronic disorders such as depression and attention deficit disorder. While many of the uses of such medications may be necessary and legitimate, many are not, and due to this fact, many people become dependent on medications, mentally, and or physically. This problem is not simply the fault of the individual; in fact, the blame can also be placed upon the medical community, and the pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs. How often can one turn on the television to see advertisements for Claritin, Aspirin, Pepto-Bismol, or even Zoloft or Ritalin? The pharmaceutical industry is motivated by monetary
Not only are patients impacted by this issue, but so is the healthcare system. Consumer reports estimates that “$200 billion per year is spent in the U.S. on the unnecessary and improper use of medication, for the drugs themselves and related medical costs, according to the market research firm IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics” (Carr, T. 2017). America’s health care is very expensive and we can save
The rising cost of prescriptions in the United States has become a huge threat to patients and to owners of hospitals. Most pharmacy companies are buying drugs that are undervalued, then they are raising the prices up to gain more profit. Even some companies admit to rising the cost up 212% (AHA, 2015). The more the cost of prescriptions go up, the greater chance there is that people will give up on taking the drugs and just suffer through or buy over the counter medicines. The purpose of this paper is the inform people of the affects and consequences of these drugs beginning to rise in costs. Lives can
While there is tremendous variation in stakeholder viewpoints regarding what pharmacare should look like and who should fund it, there is clear consensus on many overarching principles. Our reliance on prescription drugs as a key tool in the maintenance and restoration of health has increased greatly since the inception of Medicare. Our current fragmented approach for funding of therapies has led to
Health care costs are extraordinarily high and keep getting higher. Individuals in the US that do not have access to medical services are running as high as 43.4 million and This number has grown by over a million in each of the last three years. (AFSCME, n.d.). The rise of prescription drug
Medicine has been around for thousands of years and has diversified and given us many options to treat illness or pain. Some are available as over-the-counter drugs that can be purchased almost anywhere and others require you to get a prescription from your doctor in order to get it. Some of these drugs that require a prescription often help people who deal with chronic pain, those who are at the end of their life, or cancer patients. Unfortunately these drugs, although helpful to those who need them, are being abused by millions of Americans every year. With doctors prescribing ludicrous amounts of prescription drug, sometimes when it is not even necessary, and our lack of knowledge on the subject, prescription drug abuse has become a big
Proper medication management among the elderly can be challenging. Medications are used as one of the interventional tactics in the prevention and management of numerous diseases. Although medications can be useful to patients when used appropriately, they can also be harmful to patients.
Millions of Americans suffer from chronic illnesses. Prescription drugs are the main course of treatment, however they cause over 38 thousand deaths in the United States each
According to Consumer Report in September, 55 percent of Americans took at least one prescription drug (Carr, Rabkin, and Skinner 27). Interestingly, in 2008 it was only 48 percent; a breakdown of age groups showed 90 percent of adults at least 60 years old and 20 percent of children were taking at least one prescription drug and ten percent over all age groups were taking at least five prescription drugs (Qiuping, Dillon and Burt 6). That is over 300,000 additional people with prescription each year. Furthermore, many new drugs being prescribed in the United States are no more effective than the cheaper predecessor; these new drugs just cost more (Abramson). If the new drugs that are predominately being prescribed are no more effective and the cost has increased, it can only be assumed Americans are