Approximately 29 percent of Hispanic adults decided against filling a prescription for cost reasons, according to a national poll conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.
Survey respondents said they also economized by asking their doctor for free samples, skipping doses, taking smaller doses or sharing a prescription with someone else using the same medicine.
"We were surprised by the extent to which Hispanic consumers are cutting corners and the risks they're taking to save money," said Jose Luis Mosquera, a medical expert for Consumer Reports. "The most important thing is for patients to talk to their doctors about the cost of medicines. This can be challenging for some patients, especially where there are language and cultural barriers."
When asked about how easy or difficult it is to afford healthcare, 66 percent of those polled responded that it is "difficult" or "very difficult,” including 88 percent of those without health insurance. Three-quarters of consumers earning less than $50,000 and those born outside the United States or Puerto Rico reported difficulty dealing with cost, along with nearly seven in 10 of those under the age of 55.
According to the poll, 44 percent of Hispanics do not have health insurance. Hispanics without health insurance are more than twice as likely as those with health insurance to forego a prescribed medication because of cost and are nearly twice as likely to skip a dose to make a prescribed medication last longer.
In addition, one-quarter of uninsured Hispanics reported taking a smaller dose to make a prescription last longer, as opposed to 16 percent of Hispanics with health insurance. The uninsured also are more than four times as likely to share a prescription with someone else. This trend is especially popular with Hispanics ages 18-34 years - 22 percent said they had shared.
Nationwide, Hispanics currently taking a prescription medicine spent an average of $65 out-of-pocket on medicines during the past 30 days, the poll shows. Respondents without health insurance spent far more than the insured ($81 vs. $58), and those earning at least $50,000 spent nearly as much ($78).
Photo obtained under Creative Commons License -Ed.