Americans are using more prescription drugs to prevent and manage health conditions than ever before, and those drugs are more expensive than ever before. In fact, there were 10 prescriptions written for every man, woman, and child in America last year, costing $155 billion.
Believe it or not, the amount we spend on drugs increases nearly 20 percent every year and is one of the main reasons the cost of health care is increasing. Fortunately, there are simple things we all can do to help keep health care affordable. When you need a prescription drug, ask your doctor if a generic equivalent is available.
Why Pay More?
The generic drug is just as effective as the brand-name drug. Both medicines have the same active ingredients, the same strength, and the same dosage. But the generic drug costs less than one-third the price of the brand-name drug, on average — $72 for a brand-name drug as opposed to $22 for a generic.
The Hidden Cost of Brand-Name Drugs
One reason brand-name drugs are so much more expensive is that drug companies spend more than twice as much on marketing and advertising these drugs as on research and development. In fact, the nine largest pharmaceutical companies spend an average of 27 percent of their revenue on marketing, advertising, and administration, while only 11 percent goes toward research and development.
*Source: Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, 2003.
Things You Can Do:
Eat Responsibly
Practice Safety/Prevention
Manage Chronic Disease
Step Up Physical Activity
Save the ER for Emergencies
Request Generic Drugs
Develop an Ongoing Relationship with Your Physician
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