Doctors don't ask about drug costs

Sometimes, even well-insured patients can't afford the co-pays imposed by their health plan--and of course, some people don't have insurance to begin with. But doctors don't usually ask patients whether they can afford needed drugs, and patients rarely admit to the problem on their own, according to a new study published in the The American Journal of Managed Care. As a result, rather than working with their physician to find generic drug alternatives or make use of physician samples, many patients end up doing without the medications they need. Physicians also end up prescribing more meds than needed, assuming that the patient's drug regimen isn't working, rather than that they're not purchasing the medication. The study, which tracked 185 doctor-patient discussions at two California clinics, found that patients are only asked if they could afford their medications 12 percent of the time. And patients only volunteered the information a scant 2 percent of the time.

Get more information on the drug discussion problem:
- read this United Press International article
- review this paper from the The American Journal of Managed Care

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