Prescription medications play an important role in health care in the U.S. Prescription medications are used to treat illness and to prevent or slow the progression of disease. The total amount spent on prescription medications in 1990 was $40 billion compared to over $216 billion in 2006, which is five times more. The number of prescriptions increased 72% from 2.2 billion to 3.8 billion. The average number of prescriptions per person increased from 9 to 13 per year. The role that prescription medications play continues to increase as the average age of our population also increases, as 59% of those under 65 years old use prescription medication compared to 91% of those over 65. The average price of a prescription is about $70. The average price for a brand-name medication is about $120 compared to $34 for generics. Despite these staggering dollar amounts, prescription medications continue to represent a tremendous value, as the total cost for prescriptions represents only 10% of the total amount spent on healthcare in 2006. Prescription medications prolong life for those with incurable disease such as HIV and they improve the quality of life and slow the progression of chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease, which reduces the need for expensive hospital care.

Taos Pharmacy is introducing our own prescription discount card to help reduce the cost of prescriptions for those who do not have insurance or other prescription drug benefits. Unlike other discount plans that only discount a few of the cheapest drugs available, our program offers discounts on all prescription medications including the most expensive brand-name products, where saving can be the greatest. There are no enrollment fees for the Taos Pharmacy Prescription Discount Card. It is available to anyone who does not have other prescription drug coverage. Prescription drugs often represent the best value for the treatment of disease, reducing the need for expensive hospital treatments due to complications. However, the cost of prescription medications is often a financial burden that results in improper use of medications, as patients skip doses or simply do not take their medications to make ends meet. We hope to do our part to reduce this burden and to make it easier for patients to comply with their medication therapy.

Come by and ask for your Taos Pharmacy Prescription Discount Card to start saving money today.

Reference: http://www.kff.org/rxdrugs/upload/3057_07.pdf.

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