For tens of millions of Individuals, affording prescription medicines is getting more durable, not simpler. In response to new survey knowledge from GoodRx, a platform for treatment financial savings, individuals are extra doubtless than ever to view their prescriptions as a monetary burden. Extra individuals are skipping doses, slicing again on necessities, or turning to inventive—and generally dangerous—workarounds to proceed their prescribed remedy.
Key takeaways:
- In response to the GoodRx Analysis survey, 67% of Individuals who crammed a prescription described the price of their treatment as a burden.
- Paying for prescribed drugs leads many Individuals to make sacrifices in different areas of life. Virtually 30% of individuals reported slicing again on spending for meals or clothes to pay for his or her prescriptions.
- Excessive out-of-pocket prices change how individuals take their medicines. Amongst individuals who crammed a prescription in 2025, 1 in 5 reported rationing their medicines because of value.
Most Individuals proceed to really feel the monetary burden of prescriptions
GoodRx Analysis surveyed over 1,000 individuals who crammed a prescription in 2025 about their healthcare bills. Right here’s how they described their out-of-pocket value for medicines:
- Minor burden: 35% (up from 30.9% in 2024)
- Reasonable burden: 21%
- Important burden: 10%
- Catastrophic burden: 2%
- Not a burden: 33% (down from 35.8% in 2024)
In different phrases, over 67% of Individuals who crammed a prescription stated their out-of-pocket value was no less than a minor monetary burden.
Pharmaceuticals stay one in all many competing priorities in Individuals’ budgets. For a lot of, treatment prices now rank increased than issues about housing, meals, and transportation.
In 2025, 38% of individuals stated they apprehensive about with the ability to afford their medicines, up considerably from 27% in 2024. Greater than half (57%) apprehensive about affording no less than one healthcare or important value prior to now yr.
Although costs for medical care and medicines have elevated extra slowly than different classes of spending, Individuals are nonetheless struggling to afford their prescriptions.
Individuals are nonetheless making sacrifices to pay for prescriptions
In 2024, 37% of Individuals reported taking motion that would negatively affect their life-style or private funds. And the pinch is getting worse. In 2025, that quantity went as much as 46%. Way of life sacrifices have been widespread:
- 29% lower spending on leisure actions (up from 23% in 2024)
- 28% decreased spending on meals or clothes (a pointy enhance from 16% in 2024)
- 16% dipped into financial savings to cowl the price of remedy
- 9% offered private belongings to assist pay for medicines
- 15% adjusted their or a member of the family’s employment, both by working extra hours or taking up an extra job
Along with life-style modifications, many Individuals took on direct monetary burdens to cowl healthcare bills. In 2025, 42% reported taking some type of monetary motion because of healthcare prices, up from 39% in 2024. Listed here are some monetary actions individuals took:
- 25% took on bank card debt (up from 22% in 2024)
- 18% borrowed cash from associates or household
- 6% took out a mortgage (up from 4% in 2024)
These tradeoffs—each life-style and monetary—spotlight the rising challenges many Individuals face in accessing and taking their prescribed remedies.
Price continues to have an effect on treatment adherence
Price pressures are altering how Individuals take their medicines. In 2024, 34% of individuals reported making no less than one change to how they managed their prescriptions because of value. By 2025, that quantity went as much as 42%. This consists of:
- 16% who delayed refills (down barely from 17%)
- 20% who rationed their medicines (up from 15%)
- 13% who stopped taking a medicine completely (up from 8%)
These modifications, whereas usually financially motivated, can carry severe well being penalties — particularly for these managing persistent or life-threatening situations. The rise in these behaviors indicators rising strain on sufferers as they attempt to steadiness their well being wants with monetary realities.
Persons are getting inventive to afford their treatment
When prescriptions are too costly, individuals could take steps to verify they’ll get their medicines. In 2025, 75% used no less than one nontraditional useful resource, up from 70% in 2024.
Low cost packages have been among the many commonest instruments, utilized by 43% of respondents, and 40% obtained free samples straight from their clinician. Many additionally shopped round at completely different pharmacies or requested their healthcare skilled for extra reasonably priced alternate options.
Others turned to producer copay playing cards or low-income subsidy packages to scale back their out-of-pocket prices. These methods mirror a rising willingness to discover inventive options within the face of rising costs.
Some individuals took riskier measures:
Total, greater than a 3rd of Individuals (38%) stated they used a prescription low cost card or coupon this yr—highlighting the significance of accessible pricing instruments exterior the normal insurance coverage mannequin.
The underside line
Prescription medicines stay a monetary burden for many Individuals. Peterson-KFF Well being System Tracker reported in 2024 that nearly 1 in 12 Individuals have medical debt, with the price of prescription medicines contributing to the issue.
Within the face of unaffordable medicines, many Individuals are taking their healthcare into their very own fingers. They’re looking for out low cost packages, utilizing producer copay playing cards, and speaking to their healthcare skilled about the price of care. Increasing these assets is a crucial first step to enhancing treatment entry and affordability.
This story was produced by GoodRx and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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