Nonadherence rates tend to be higher in countries where consumers face a greater cost-sharing burden, such as the United States, Australia or Canada. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Cost is, without question, the biggest barrier to health care for most Americans. Consumers avoid care not only when they know they can't afford it, but often because they simply have no idea what the final bill will be.
And, just like many other financial issues, it's worse for women than it is for men. A recent study in Health Affairs examined rates of prescription medication adherence among men and women, further comparing American consumers to those in other countries, finding that medication nonadherence due to cost was 54% more common among younger American women. For the purposes of the study, "nonadherence" was defined as "did not fill/collect a prescription for medicine or skipped doses because of the cost" in the past 12 months.
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Emily Payne
Emily Payne is director, content analytics for ALM's Business & Finance Markets and former managing editor for BenefitsPRO. A Wisconsin native, she has spent the past decade writing and editing for various athletic and fitness publications. She holds an English degree and Business certificate from the University of Wisconsin.
