1 in 6 U.S. Adults With Asthma Can't Afford Meds

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 10, 2024.

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2024 -- Over 3 million Americans with asthma can't afford to take their medications as prescribed, a new poll estimates.

In total, about 1 in 6 folks with asthma are struggling to cover the costs of inhalers and other medications, according to survey results published Dec. 9 in the journal Thorax.

The findings are troubling because people who skip asthma meds "are at increased risk of asthma-related adverse events, including asthma attacks and ER visits," noted a team of Taiwanese researchers led by Dr. Chung-Hsuen Wu, of Taipei Medical University.

As the researchers noted, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently estimates that over 20 million American adults -- 8% of the adult population -- have asthma.

But how many are getting proper treatment?

To find out, Wu and colleagues tracked data from major U.S. federal health surveys for 2011 through 2022.

Among other questions, people with asthma were asked if cost had caused them to skip or delay their asthma treatment over the past month, or if they had consciously lowered the dosage of medicine they used due to cost.

They were also asked about the frequency of asthma attacks and ER visits linked to the breathing disorder.

All told, about 18% of respondents said high cost had caused them to forgo some level of recommended asthma care.

This could mean that, due to pricing, close to 2 million adults with asthma are now skipping their meds and/or lowering drug doses, while about 2.5 million are delaying getting prescriptions filled, the researchers calculated.

However, the research also showed that doing any of the above nearly doubled the odds for asthma attacks and upped the odds for an asthma-linked ER visit by 60%.

There was one glimmer of good news: The percentage of folks who cannot afford their asthma meds has declined with time, from 23% in 2011 to about 13% by 2022.

The decline may be due to the advent of the Affordable Care Act, introduced in 2010, and the expansion of Medicaid.

“With fewer barriers to accessing healthcare, including medications, patients may be more willing to fill prescriptions for medications to control their asthma than before,” the researchers suggested.

Emily Graul and Dr. Christer Janson of, respectively, Emory University in Atlanta and Uppsala University in Sweden, commented on the new findings in an accompanying editorial.

They pointed to one more federal government initiative that might bring down the cost of asthma drugs.

The Biden Administration's recent Inflation Reduction Act has allowed Medicare to lower drug costs for many chronic conditions, "but so far this has not included drugs for respiratory conditions, including asthma," Graul and Janson noted. “The results of this study beg the question: should certain asthma medications be part of the next batch of drug negotiations?”

Sources

  • Thorax, news release, Dec. 9, 2024

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2024-12-11 00:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords