Increased drug prices force many to buy outside the U.S.

As drug prices in the United States have ballooned, millions have resorted to a less-than-legal solution: Buying prescriptions abroad and illegally importing them.

Eight percent of households recently surveyed by the Kaiser Foundation said they had imported a prescription drug at some point. This would translate to 19 million adults. Researchers think the number could be higher because many respondents may be reluctant to admit they broke the law.

“People are uncomfortable talking about the cost of their own health care, and they don’t want to admit they are struggling to pay for their own meds,” expert Andrew Zullo told Kaiser Health News.

Eight percent is a significant increase from the 2 percent reported in the Foundation’s 2011 poll.

Buying drugs abroad can present a number of problems. Drugs may be expired or of inferior quality. However, when prices from places such as Canada can be half of those in the U.S., consumers have a strong motivation to buy outside the country.

How have you been affected by the rising costs of prescription drugs? What solutions have you found? Share your story with Voices for Affordable Health.