Guest guest Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 RISING CO-PAYS AFFECT PRESCRIPTION REFILLS Americans may be cutting back on prescription drugs as co- payments rise, finds a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Instead, many patients choose over-the- counter drugs that treat only basic symptoms, say researchers from RAND in Santa , Calif., who analyzed data from medical and pharmacy claims of 528,969 U.S. adults from 1997 to 2000 -- a time in which co-payments roughly doubled. The authors found the largest drops in patients' use of non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antihistamines, at 45 percent and 44 percent respectively. Cholesterol-lowering drugs, antiulcerants and antiasthmatics each dropped by about a third, while antihypertensives, antidepressants and antidiabetics each were reduced by about a fourth. The authors conclude that increasing co-payments " raise concern about adverse health consequences. " Get your FREE personalized email signature at My Mail Signature! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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