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Sept. 13, 2012 Americans are scrimping to pay for their prescription medications, and some are playing dangerous games with their health as a result.



More than 80% of Americans who don't have prescription drug cheap ugg boots coverage are not filling their prescriptions, skipping medical tests, passing on doctor's appointments because of cost, or cutting corners elsewhere, a new Consumer Reports poll shows.



Nearly half of the adults polled did not fill a prescription because of cost in the past year, compared with 27% last year. This is the fourth year that Consumer Reports conducted the poll, and things seem to be getting worse.



"The jump from one year to the next was massive, bordering on a crisis," says Lisa Gill. adults take prescriptions drugs. The average number of drugs is 4.1. And it's not just ugg boots uk the elderly who take multiple prescriptions. One quarter of people aged 18 to 39 take two prescription medications, the poll showed.



According to the poll, because of cost:



62% of people declined a medical test.



45% did not fill a prescription.



63% delayed a doctor's appointment.



51% skipped a medical procedure.



Others spent less on groceries, their family, and/or put off paying bills to pay for their medications.



Extreme Couponing for Prescription Drugs



These pennypinching moves may have serious health consequences, Gill says. People with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or asthma who need to take several medications may be putting themselves at risk by skimping on their drugs, she says. Untreated high blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke and heart attack.



But there are certain things people can do to keep costs in check without sacrificing their health, she says.



For starters, always ask the prescribing doctor about cost and whether there is a generic or an equivalent medication with a generic version, Gill says. Your pharmacist can also assist you with this type of information. Generic drugs cost less and work as well as the brand name drug. In most states, pharmacists must substitute generic drugs for brand name drugs unless the prescribing doctor tells them to do otherwise.



All retail drug stores have a discount generic drug program. "This is a good place to start, and you don't need insurance to participate," Gill says. Some programs are free and others have minimal costs.



Manufacturers also have assistance programs to help offset drug costs. "Read the fine print," she says. "Many expire or have limits, so if the medication is something you will be taking for years, this may only be a shortterm solution."



Harry Schiavi heads a New York Citybased consulting firm that deals with reimbursement of prescription drugs. As such, these are issues he grapples with daily.



Don't sell the drug companies short, he says. "There may be an awareness issue with regard to the amount of assistance that manufacturers are providing to patients for their pharmacy costs," he says. "As insurance copays are going up for insured consumers, some pharmaceutical companies are increasing the eligibility levels for patient outofpocket assistance."