Lacking a prescription benefit was independently
associated with difficulty affording medications
(25% of those without a benefit vs. 17% with a benefit)
and coping methods such as stretching out medications.
Lower income, lower assets, and worse health status also
independently predicted greater difficulty as measured
by these outcomes; there was no effect modification
between these factors and benefit status. Relative to
national figures, out-of-pocket spending in this setting
was quite low, with only 0.2 and 13% of those with and
without a benefit, respectively, spending over $100 per
month. Higher out-of-pocket spending predicted greater
difficulty affording medications but not stretching out
medications