Consumer Reports via Washington Post: “Do you experience sticker shock when you’re at a pharmacy to fill prescriptions? Many older people say they have. Eleven percent of Americans 65 and older — 6 million people — report that they or a loved one have skipped prescribed meds to save money, according to a 2021 Gallup survey. “High drug costs affect everyone, but they have a disproportionate impact on seniors, both because they have a greater need for them and because Medicare doesn’t cover all their drug expenses,” says Timothy Lash, president of West Health, a nonprofit group focused on aging and health care. Here’s what you can do now…”

See also U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Services & Governmental Affairs – Short Supply – The Health and National Security Risks of Drug Shortages, March 2023. “Shortages of critical medications continue to rise—including drugs used in hospital emergency rooms and to treat cancer, prescription medications, and even common over-the-counter treatments like children’s cold and flu medicine. The number of active drug shortages in the U.S. reached a peak of 295 at the end of 2022. However, drug shortages are not a new problem. They are caused by a number of factors, including economic drivers, insufficient supply chain visibility, and a continued U.S. overreliance on both foreign and geographically concentrated sources for medications and their raw materials. These shortages have cascading effects on patient care, causing delays in treatment, increasing the risk of medication errors, and requiring the use of less effective alternative treatments. Hospitals have also experienced increased costs, medication waste, and limited staffing capacity to address and remedy shortages…”