The price of medications keeps rising

The price of the most popularly prescribed medications rose 6 percent between 2017 and 2018, according to GoodRX. Diabetes drugs alone rose 15 percent last year. The results are devastating for the uninsured.

“People legitimately cannot afford to get their medications filled. If they did, they wouldn’t eat,” says Dr. Dana Clawson, Dean of the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health at Northwestern State University.

With the rising cost of medications, many people are having to choose between filling their medications or paying for groceries. Some have to decide which meds are absolutely necessary to survive and filling only those. And once filled, do they take the medications as prescribed? Or do they take the pills only once a day or a few times a week to make them last longer?

When faced with these decisions, “it can be really hard to keep a stiff upper lip.”

We were able to come alongside Ms. Karen and help her fill all her medications because we don’t want people to “just cross their fingers and hope they make it…” When people need help, they need help.

MLK Health helps uninsured adults who can’t afford an ACA policy but don’t qualify for Medicaid. When you Give for Good, you help people like Karen who find themselves in a healthcare gap. You give hope to people who would otherwise be left to struggle alone with their health.