ACS Says People with Cancer More Likely to Look for Low-Cost Drugs

After working in technology sales for more than two decades, Mark Moshayedi moved into the real estate sector in 2013, when he became the CEO at MSM Global Ventures. Outside of his work life, Mark Moshayedi supports various nonprofit groups, such as the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The ACS recently conducted a survey that found people who have survived cancer tend to make changes to their prescription drugs for monetary reasons. Cancer drugs, in particular, are becoming increasingly expensive. As health insurance plans have changed, the cost of these drugs has begun to shift to the patient due to increasing deductibles, higher copays, and other factors. As patients shoulder more of the financial cost, they are looking for lower-cost prescriptions in other areas to help offset the burden.

Data gathered from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) shows that younger patients who have high-deductible insurance plans are nearly 10 percent more likely to ask for lower-cost prescription drugs. They also discovered that 31.6 percent of those who had been diagnosed with cancer recently reported changes in their prescription drug use based on cost, whereas 27.9 percent of those who have survived for some time made changes for the same reasons. Those numbers are compared to 21.4 percent of individuals who don’t have cancer.