• Robin A Cohen, Whitney K Kirzinger, and Renee M Gindi.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics, Hyattsville, MD 20782, USA.
• NCHS Data Brief. 2013 Apr 1(119):1-8.

AbstractIn 2011, Americans spent $45 billion out-of-pocket on retail prescription drugs (1). Some adults reduce prescription drug costs by skipping doses and delaying filling prescriptions (2). Some cost-reduction strategies used by adults have been associated with negative health outcomes. For example, adults who do not take prescription medication as prescribed have been shown to have poorer health status and increased emergency room use, hospitalizations, and cardiovascular events (3,4). This report analyzes different strategies used by U.S. adults to reduce their prescription drug costs, by age, health insurance status, and poverty status, using data from the 2011 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

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