Recognizing Prescription Medication Access Challenges

The USA is arguably one of the richest countries in the world. Yet, many in the USA cannot afford adequate medical care or prescriptions. Access to prescription medication can be limited. Many have to choose between the high cost of their prescription medication and other basic necessities like food or rent. For some, the largest expense of the month is prescription medication, not the mortgage. According to academic researchers, 66.5% of all bankruptcies in the USA are tied to the cost of medical challenges.

The cost of medical care in the USA is one of the highest in the world. Even President Joe Biden acknowledged that you could go “anywhere else in the world” and get a prescription filled for 40% to 60% less than what it costs in the U.S. The US pharmaceutical industry earns billions in profits each year. And, they pay their CEOs tens of millions in compensation a year.

USA Pays the Most For the Same Prescriptions

One of AstraZeneca’s inhalers costs $645 in the USA but just $49 in the U.K. The cancer drug, Gleevec, costs $6,214 per month ($74,568 per year) per patient in the United States. But Gleevec is available for only $1,141 ($13,692 per year) in Canada. The rheumatoid arthritis medication, Humira, costs $2,246 in the United States but only $881 in Switzerhand.

Otsuka charges $34.51 per pill in the USA but only $4.65 in Canada for its antipsychotic and antidepressant drug, Abilify. AstraZeneca’s Nexium treats stomach acid-related conditions like GERD and ulcers. In the USA, they charge $7.78 for one 40 mg Nexium pill. In India and Turkey, the same 40g Nexium pill costs less than 37 cents each.

Bristol Myers Squibb’s Eliquis is a critical blood thinner that reduces the risk of stroke. Bristol Myers charges $7,100 annually in the US, $940 in Japan, $900 in Canada, $770 in Germany, $760 in the UK, and $650 in France. Johnson & Johnson sells its arthritis drug, Stelara, in the US at an annual cost of $79,000. However, they only charge $30,000 in Germany, $20,000 in Canada, $16,000 in the UK, $14,000 in Japan, and $12,000 in France for the same medication. Merck charges people in the USA $191,000 for its life-saving cancer drug, Keytruda. However, Merck only charges $115,000 in the UK, $112,000 in Canada, $91,000 in France, $89,000 in Germany, and $44,000 in Japan for Keytruda.

According to a committee report chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), these drugmakers have made more money from Eliquis, Stelara, and Keytruda sales in the US than from all the rest of the world combined. Why is this allowed?

Medical Tourism Is Growing

Since prescription prices are often much lower for the same medication in other countries, why would anyone fill their prescriptions in the USA? In fact, residents in some countries pay nothing for their prescriptions. This created a growing trend for medical tourism.

An RPCV wandering Ecuador started experiencing headaches and other symptoms. The homestay host directed them to the pharmacy, not a doctor. The Ecuadorian pharmacist was very familiar with these symptoms from tourists. RPCV paid $4 for the altitude sickness pills. That is less than the co-pay if purchased in the USA. And, that does not include the cost of the doctor’s visit to get the prescription in the USA. When the RPCV planned a return trip to Ecuador, they waited to get those pills again directly from the Ecuadorian pharmacist.

What does this say about the state of prescription medication in the USA? In some instances, it costs less to fly to another country every month to buy the same prescription medication than to buy it in the USA.

International Medication Access Challenges

But there is a risk to buy prescription medication internationally. The ingredients may not be the same. The efficacy may be different. The manufacturing environment may not be held to the same safety levels that are in the USA. In 2017, the World Health Organization estimated that 10% of drugs in developing countries were either substandard or falsified.

Additionally, what you get even be deadly. There are pharmacies in other countries that specifically cater to travelers from U.S. looking for low-cost pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, some of the pharmacies in northern Mexico recently sold pills laced with deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine to desperate medical tourists from the US.

Also, some medications are designated controlled substances. Therefore, you may not be able to leave that country with them. Or, you may not be able to bring those into the USA. Border crossing agents or airport customs will confiscate controlled substances. You could even get arrested. So, learn the rules before you go.

RPCV Medication Access Challenges

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) do not get medical care after our Peace Corps service like military veterans do. PCVs who COS with medical situations have to file a claim. The government could accept or reject the claim.

This is why it is important to collect your Peace Corps medical records. Review and correct them, if needed, before you COS. These records prove the post-service medical care you need.

RPCV Health Crusade know of RPCVs who moved back to their host countries or other countries overseas just for cheaper or free medical care. We even heard from RPCVs who joined the military after service to cover their medical needs. And unfortunately, some RPCVs stayed in the USA went into medical bankruptcy or worse from their medical situations. This is not acceptable.

RPCV-HC Resource Library Identifies Prescription Medication Savings Options

RPCV Health Crusade recognizes the challenges of medical care costs. We wanted to find options for free or low-cost options and information to share with the RPCV community. This is how the RPCV-HC Resource Library started.

And, that resource library has grown by leaps and bounds. We built a dedicated section on different ways for free or discounted prescription medication in the USA. And, we plan to continue adding options to ease the challenges to medication access.

Do you want to know 100+ ways to save on prescription costs? Any suggestions on how to save $ on prescription medication? Let’s work together and share what we know!