"Not So Different": AARP Says High Prescription Drug Prices Will Impact All Americans

In September, AARP issued its latest Rx Price Watch report, which tracks price trends for prescription drugs that are widely used by older Americans. That report highlighted the problem of skyrocketing drug costs; it found that the retail prices for widely used drugs increased well above the rate of inflation, and that’s a troubling trend for Medicare beneficiaries.

This week on the podcast, we’re speaking with one of the authors of that report, Leigh Purvis, MPA. Purvis is the director of health services research at the AARP Public Policy Institute, where she leads a team of policy analysts and researchers who work on health care issues that are relevant to the population of Americans aged 50 or older.

We discussed the drug pricing report, the burden that older Americans face from high out-of-pocket costs, and possible policy solutions.

Read more about the AARP report, the White House Council of Economic Advisors report, and AARP’s Stop Rx Greed campaign.