9 in 10 Older Adults Rely on Prescription Medications

But new CDC report finds that high costs make needed drugs hard to afford for some

Rachel Nania,

AARP

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En español

Published September 05, 2024

illustration of an arrow rising above a stack of prescription drugs

The vast majority of adults 65 and older living in the United States take prescription medication to manage their health conditions, like diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.

But a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics highlights that accessing these necessary drugs isn’t always simple — about 1 in 5 older adults do not have insurance coverage for prescription drugs. And even for those with a prescription drug plan, paying for medications can be expensive. As a result, some older Americans are skipping doses or delaying refills to save money.

Using data from the 2021-2022 National Health Interview Survey, researchers found that an estimated 89 percent of older adults took prescription medication in the last 12 months. Roughly 4 percent of older adults who were prescribed medication did not take it due to cost, the new report shows, and prices kept an additional 3.4 percent of adults from taking their medication per doctor’s orders, though previous research suggests these shares are far greater.

A 2019 poll from the health policy nonprofit KFF found that nearly a quarter of adults age 65-plus report difficulty affording their prescription drugs, and a study published in 2023 in the journal JAMA Network Open found 1 in 5 older adults don’t take their medication as prescribed due to cost. What’s more, a 2024 survey from AARP found that nearly half of adults age 50-plus have skipped filling their prescriptions — or know someone who has — due to cost.

Older adults struggling with food insecurity — meaning they don’t have enough to eat or don’t know where their next meal is coming from — were six times more likely than their food-secure peers to not get prescription medication or take it as prescribed, the CDC report found. More than 5 million Americans age 60-plus live with food insecurity, according to a 2023 study conducted by Feeding America. Older adults in fair or poor health and people with disabilities were also more likely than their counterparts to not get their medicine or take it as prescribed due to cost.

What’s more, CDC researchers found that individuals living with several chronic health conditions were more likely than those with fewer health issues to engage in cost-saving strategies, like taking less medication than prescribed, skipping a dose or delaying a refill due to cost. Overall, older adults with no prescription drug coverage were more likely to not get their prescription medication or take it as prescribed than people with private or public prescription drug coverage.

Most older adults think Rx prices are too expensive

New research from AARP echoes the CDC’s findings that prescription drug prices are keeping necessary medications out of reach for many older adults.

Forty-eight percent of adults age 50 and older have either skipped filling a prescription due to costs or know someone who has, a 2024 AARP survey found. Even adults 65 and older who are eligible for Medicare have made trade-offs. Nearly 40 percent of adults 65-plus say they have either skipped filling a prescription due to costs or know someone who has, confirming that “many Medicare beneficiaries are struggling with high out-of-pocket costs,” the report’s authors write.

Most adults age 50-plus pay out of pocket for their prescription medications, AARP’s research shows. One-fifth (21 percent) of surveyed adults shelled out $1,000 or more in the past year for their meds.

Another finding: Nearly 80 percent of adults 65 and older think prescription drug prices are too high.

“This research highlights yet again why AARP is so focused on reducing prescription drug prices for older Americans,” says Leigh Purvis, AARP’s prescription drug policy principal. “No one should be forced to choose between putting food on the table and paying for their prescription drugs.”

AARP-backed law makes Rx medications more affordable for many

A new law backed by AARP is making prescription medications more affordable for older Americans with a Medicare prescription drug plan.

Under the law, signed in 2022, out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs will be capped at $2,000 in 2025 for people with a Medicare prescription drug plan. And enrollees will have the option to “smooth,” or spread out, their out-of-pocket costs in monthly payments over the course of the year — a change that is designed to protect people from being hit with such a big drug bill at once that it may discourage them from filling their prescriptions.

What’s more, insulin copays have been capped at $35 for a month’s supply, and recommended vaccines, including those for shingles and RSV, are available to enrollees at no cost.

The law also expands eligibility requirements for Medicare Part D’s low-income subsidy program, called Extra Help, that reduces prescription drug costs for beneficiaries, and it gives Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers. The first 10 drug prices that were negotiated are expected to save Medicare enrollees a collective $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses when the new prices take effect in 2026, and more drug prices will be negotiated in subsequent years.

“AARP recognizes that the 2022 drug law is an extremely important first step and is committed to supporting additional efforts to lower drug prices until all older Americans can afford the medications they need," Purvis says.