This created a cycle of issues (pre-authorizations, egregious costs, stress, hardship, medication withdrawal, non-functioning at work and at home, depression due to non-functioning at work and home).

My medication increased from $25 to $440. I was not prepared for this price hike. Being prescribed an additional pill pushed me to the next milligram, which resulted in a quantity limit now. I had to contact my doctor and go back and forth with her (which takes time away from the nurses and administrators, and the doctor’s schedule, to address me).

The pharmacy tells me they can’t get the cheaper generic brand in. They can try ordering brand name. They contact the physician's office again to get support for that task. This is a convoluted mess! The doctor ordered brand name and now the medication is $600. So now my medication has increased in price yet again. How will I pay for this? And will the pharmacy be able to stock it?

So, my medication went from $25 to slight increase in dosage to $400+, then $600 to purchase brand name. I will then need to start this process over again the next month. How much labor and manpower did that entire process take? And at what cost? Stress, financial hardship, increased debt, anxiety. What my physician prescribes me should not need to go through these hoops for me to receive the best care.

However, three of my prescriptions cost me over $200 a month. I can't afford that, so I cut my dosage in half so it lasts longer. I am on Medicare with a supplement which is also $133 a month and has a large deductible. In total, it is all over one-quarter of my Social Security. With mortgage and utilities, I have very little left for groceries and nothing for savings.

[For the] two that I take, one is $135 a month and the other is $270 a month. I'm on Social Security fixed income [and] I cannot afford [my medicines].

I went to get my EpiPen refilled, only to find it cost $710.00. We are trying to survive on my husband's disability check of only $1,200.00, while raising our two daughters. So, I go without medication that could save my life should I get stung.

It is obscene that I could not locate an EpiPen for my elementary school children. The cost is outrageous, and I finally received a huge discount from $700 to $360. What greed—the price of these EpiPens, and then they become out of stock!

I have epilepsy. I am on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). I take 3 medications, one of which doesn't have a generic yet. The patent doesn't expire until 2022. It costs me $800 for a 3-month supply, after paying  $1200 for my first 3-month supply of the year because of my $400 deductible. Another one of the meds I take is over 100 years old: Phenobarbital. It dates back to 1914. When my husband had a nice insurance plan I paid $3.96 for a 90-day supply. Now on Medicare, I pay anywhere between $50 to $114 for a 90-day supply. The stuff is cheaper than aspirin and here I am paying this amount of money for it. I don't make a lot of money on SSDI. I'm unable to work because I can't concentrate well enough these days and these meds also have horrible side effects that make me short-tempered. They also make me tired since they're sedatives. But the problem with the high prices of meds is out of control on every level. I don't care if you're rich or poor, Why are there so many levels in the prescription drug supply chain? 

There are plenty of times I don’t take the medications I need because I can’t afford the co-pays. I am on Social Security and Medicare, but co-pays on a fixed income are hard to afford. I have COPD, back problems, and non-alcohol related cirrhosis. I live in fear.

My son has asthma. Without insurance, the inhaler that he must have is $400 a month, which he cannot afford. Instead, [he] uses a rescue inhaler that barely works just to survive. 

[I have] high deductible health insurance through work. I have multiple chronic illnesses...one of which is rheumatoid arthritis. I can't afford the medication. Even my prescription asthma medication isn't affordable - it's over $100! 

I have IBS and need an antispasmodic (Donnatal). Its generic is no longer being manufactured, so Donnatal now costs $5/pill. How do I budget for that?

Six years ago, I began cutting doses of four non-generics for diabetes in half or not refilling in order to afford four Tier 4 scripts. I don't have to remind anyone with diabetes on Medicare the obscene costs of brand name insulin and oral medications. My husband and I shop frugally, and there's nowhere else to cut. 

but with a lot of self-care and discipline, hard work and compliance with my medication and exercise, I am doing well. I've had multiple sclerosis a long time! I work part time, volunteer when I can and keep a positive spirit. I take one medication and it is to prevent the MS from worsening. My insurance pays most of it, but my co-pay is $2,500/month. I've been getting "extra help" for the copay through Social Security since my copay cost is more than my entire income. But, I just took my last dose. I was notified that I am no longer getting the assistance for the copay. I cannot afford $30,000/ year in copay. A nursing home would cost a lot more. I am now without the medication that has been so effective and am really worried.

I worked hard and lived within my means. Then, I was diagnosed with liver disease.

I went from walking six miles a day to sleeping constantly. My doctor found a cocktail of medications that helped. But, my prescriptions were $1,900 a month, not counting doctor’s visits. Liver pills alone were around $500. This left me only $5 at the end of every two weeks for food and gas.

Eventually, I had to stop treatment to make ends meet. My family watched as I grew sicker. It wasn’t until I qualified for assistance that things started to turn around, but my body went through irreversible damage from the lapse in treatment.

I am someone’s daughter, sister, best friend, and neighbor, and we all suffered because I couldn’t afford the health care I needed.