Poor Folks in the U.S. Can No Longer Afford Treatment for Pneumonia

[passiveporcupine]

12. There is another pretty common drug that is too expensive

and that is a rescue inhaler for asthma patients. You can get nebulizer meds for $4/month, but who can hold down a job if they have to use their nebulizer several times a day for serious asthma? My rescue inhaler (cheapest generic brand) is now just under $50 each. I sometimes use two a month. There are other drugs that can control asthma better to reduce the need for the rescue inhalers, but for me, the one that works is Pulmicort, and it's over $200 for one inhaler, so I can't buy it. How many poor people are out there with asthma? I suspect a lot. I am not living in poverty, and I do use my nebulizer, but I still sometimes go through two rescue inhalers a month (albuterol). Even $95 a month for me is a hard hit, especially since that is only one of the meds I need.

These used to be pretty cheap until they switch to CFC free. Then the prices started going up dramatically, and now they go up almost every month, and I don't understand why, when it is such a common item necessary for asthma sufferers. They are much cheaper overseas. So much so, it's infuriating. Plus, asthma sufferers are usually very prone to bronchitis and pneumonia.

According to the government, about 1 in 12 people (about 25 million) have asthma