Compared With Other Countries, Women In The US Are More Likely Than Men To Forgo Medicines Because Of Cost | Health Affairs

Compared With Other Countries, Women In The US Are More Likely Than Men To Forgo Medicines Because Of Cost | Health Affairs

U.S. women most likely to skip medications due to cost

More women than men — and more U.S. women compared to those from other countries — reported skipping medications due to cost concerns, according to a new study. Looking at data from three years across 11 high-income countries, scientists found among those 18-64, 1 in 4 U.S. women reported skipping medications because they were unaffordable, compared to 1 in 7 men who said the same. At the same time, fewer than 10% of men and women in Australia reported forgoing medicines due to cost, while it was fewer than 5% who reported the same in the U.K. The U.S. also ranked the highest when it came to drug unaffordability among adults over the age of 65. And while women were more likely to report cost-related concerns across most countries, France was a notable exception for men 18-64 and over 65.