Prescription Drugs

Out-of-pocket prescription drug costs have led some older adults, including Medicare beneficiaries, to skip filling prescriptions or make other trade-offs.

Rising drug prices have placed increased pressure on Medicare Part D, and the resulting cost-sharing burdens have caused millions of older adults to engage in cost-coping strategies, such as not filling a prescription or skipping doses to save money.  

This Fact Sheet examines proper drug disposal—the safe and timely removal of unused or unwanted drugs from an individual’s possession according to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards—and what can make it difficult. 

This Fact Sheet looks at prescription drug use among midlife Medicaid enrollees, examines a set of baseline trends (who fills prescriptions, where they live, and how often they fill prescriptions), the types of drugs midlife Medicaid enrollees fill, and the impact of state expansion of Medicaid on prescription drug use among this population.