A new report shows that close to 1 in 10 adults ages 18 to 64 who were taking prescription medication in 2021 did not take it as prescribed to save money – an issue that was more common among groups including women, the uninsured and those not in good health.
According to the report, published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and based on a nationally representative survey, about 58% of adults in that age range took prescription medication within the past 12 months in 2021. More than 9 million – or 8.2% – of those adults sought to cut costs by skipping doses, taking less medication or delaying getting a prescription filled.
These practices were particularly common among the uninsured, 22.9% of whom took such measures. Just 6.5% of privately insured adults and 8.0% of those on Medicaid did the same.