A new Arthritis Research Canada study found that one in 20, or 4.9 per cent of 233,085 respondents, reported cost-related nonadherence to prescription medications. More, it says women are 44 per cent more likely to report cost-related nonadherence than men.
Cost-related nonadherence, they say, refers to skipping doses, reducing dosages, delaying refilling prescriptions and not filling a prescription because of out-of-pocket costs.
“Prescription medications are necessary for disease prevention and management, particularly for people with chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis,” Dr. Mary De Vera, senior scientist and associate director of training at Arthritis Research Canada said in a statement about the research. “They are not always taken as prescribed.”
The report estimates that Canadian households in 2021 paid $7.4-billion out of pocket for prescription medications, representing 17.3 per cent of total prescription drug expenditures.
Chronic health conditions
Respondents with one or more chronic health conditions were 1.91 to 3.41 times more likely to report nonadherence when compared with those who did not have any comorbidities. “Compared with having employer insurance coverage for prescription medication, having no coverage, government insurance or associate or private insurance showed 2.76, 1.43 and 1.35 times the odds of cost-related nonadherence, respectively,” they write. They also note that respondents who reported poorer perceived health and lower life satisfaction consistently showed higher odds of cost-related nonadherence.
“Our nationally representative findings reveal inequalities that disproportionately affect marginalized people at the intersections of sex, race, age and disability and vary by province,” the report, Predictors of cost-related medication nonadherence in Canada: a repeated cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Community Health Survey states. The researchers add that they hope the information will be used to inform the potential expansion of public drug coverage eligibility, premiums and cost sharing policies that address financial barriers to medication adherence.
