Issue Brief 1: Cost Sharing and Access to Prescription Medications

Cost sharing refers to healthcare expenses that are not covered by an individual’s insurance plan and must be paid out of pocket. In many cases — especially for economically vulnerable patients — out-of-pocket costs reduce or prevent access to prescribed medications, and this negatively impacts both quality of life and the course of disease.

This Issue Brief provides an overview and examples of the impact of cost sharing on access to prescription medications.