4 April 2024
KANSAS (KSNT) – A report from USA Today found more than 62 million Americans face prescription medication shortages. In Kansas, nearly over 1/5 of residents face medical shortages.
According to the report, Americans are struggling to find over-the-counter (OTC) medicine and medical equipment. Over 14% of respondents reported being affected by prescription medication shortages. OTC medication isn’t the only type of medication affected, 4.9% of respondents reported having trouble getting OTC drugs and 2.6% reported lack of medical equipment.
Kansas was ninth in the nation for citizens facing medical shortages with 21.5% of respondents facing issues. The report found that 16.7% of Kansans faced prescription medication shortages, 6% faced OTC medication shortages and 2.1% faced medical equipment shortages.
The report also looked into how each state is dealing with shortages. In Kansas, 49% of people reported that they were simply delaying or stopping the use of prescription drugs. Across the nation, 24% of Americans have resorted to rationing medications.
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the problem comes from manufacturing quality issues, raw material shortages, medication discontinuation and production delays. The FDA keeps a list of drugs that have been discontinued or are facing shortages, click here to see the list.
USA Today gave some recommendations to deal with the medication shortage:
Go to a different pharmacy.
Ask your pharmacist for different dosages.
Ask about different brands.
Rethink your insurance.
USA Today used the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey to determine the number of people affected by the shortages.
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