Association of Medication Nonadherence Among Adult Survivors of Stroke After Implementation of the US Affordable Care Act | Cerebrovascular Disease | JAMA Neurology | JAMA Network

Association of Medication Nonadherence Among Adult Survivors of Stroke After Implementation of the US Affordable Care Act | Cerebrovascular Disease | JAMA Neurology | JAMA Network

More stroke survivors could afford medication after the ACA

THE PERCENT OF STROKE SURVIVORS WHO SAID THEY DIDN'T TAKE PRESCRIBED DRUGS DUE TO COST. (JAMA NEUROLOGY)

Fewer stroke survivors are skipping their medications due to cost since the ACA was put in place. In a new analysis, researchers looked at how often stroke survivors said they couldn’t afford prescribed medications between 2000 and 2016. Between 2006 and 2010, 23 percent of stroke survivors said they couldn't pay for medications. From 2014 to 2016, however, more survivors had health insurance — and the share who said they couldn’t afford their drugs fell to 18 percent. The authors’ takeaway: Further Medicaid expansion would likely be a good thing for stroke survivors and could cut costs, since treatment could stave off future problems.