BOISE, Idaho — For Wellness Wednesday, where we are healthier together, we're exploring ways to reduce prescription medication costs.
Americans spend nearly $720 billion on prescription drugs annually, more than any other country worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health. Idaho alone spends over $1 billion yearly, with costs continuing to rise.
"It's going up," said Dr. Daniel Meltzer of Regence Blue Shield. "About two-thirds of U.S. adults take a prescription medication."
Sure, it would be great if we all ate right and worked out regularly and avoided things that result in chronic illness, but we don't — and the pharmaceutical industry is great at coming up with pills to fix what ails us.
"The flip side is that the research and development that goes into creating those medications needs a return on investment," Dr. Meltzer said. "It's very expensive." And that usually means high costs for patients.
Dr. Meltzer recommends several strategies to reduce medication expenses: ask your prescriber about generic alternatives; consult your health plan for cost-saving options; speak with your pharmacist who may know ways to lower costs; and consider mail-order prescriptions, which can be more affordable.
For those considering purchasing medications from other countries, like Canada, for lower prices, Dr. Meltzer advises caution.
"The challenge sometimes becomes quality control, so I think we always want to be careful about what the source of our medication is," Dr. Meltzer said.
In 2023, the most sought-after drug was semaglutide, a GLP-1 medication originally developed for diabetes management that's now helping millions of Americans lose weight.
