Prescription Drug Affordability in America: A Growing Crisis

Prescription drug affordability is a growing challenge for millions of Americans. New data show rising concern about the ability to pay for needed medications, with many households already facing situations where they cannot afford prescriptions. These challenges are especially pronounced among lower-income individuals and those with multiple chronic conditions, highlighting persistent gaps in access to care. 

This brief examines how affordability pressures are shaping patient behavior, including skipping doses and rationing medications, and underscores that these challenges cut across political, geographic, and demographic lines. It also highlights the strong, bipartisan public support for policy solutions to lower prescription drug costs.