March 2022, Newsletter
MedAssist Reduces Prescription Drug Cost Burden on Families
Insulin, inhalers, and EpiPens are not indulgences. In Santa Clara County, we have 118,900 adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes, 257,000 adults and children with asthma, and 21,600 individuals who are prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors for allergic reactions. These medications are essential for their survival. They also cost a lot more than they used to. A lot more.
Twenty years ago, a one-month supply of insulin cost about $21. Today it’s $275. The cost for one asthma inhaler jumped more than 50% in the past five years, from the unreasonable—$316—to the outrageous: $496.
You read that right: almost $500 for one inhaler. The reasons for the stratospheric rise in prescription drug costs may be complex, but the bottom line is that it’s hurting too many people.