According

to a new report issued by Families USA, a consumer health

care organization, prices for the 50 drugs most

frequently prescribed for seniors on average rose nearly

double the rate of inflation last year.

The report,

"Still Rising: Drug Prices Increases for Seniors,

1999 - 2000," examined the cost of the 50 drugs from

January 1999 to January 2000 and from January 1994 to

January 2000. The study found that prices for the drugs

rose 3.6 percent over the last year against a 2.2 percent

increase in inflation.

The cost of

furosemide, a diuretic manufactured by Watson which is

used to treat hypertension and congesrt failure, rose by

50 percent, nearly 23 times the inflation rate. Klor-Con,

manufactured by Upsher-Smith, increased about 20 times

the rate of inflation.

According

to the Congressional Budget Office, about 19 million

elderly people in the United States have "little or

no drug coverage." Seniors 65 and older consume

almost 35 percent of all prescription drugs, although

they comprise roughly 12 percent of the population. At

least one in five seniors takes at least five

prescription drugs a day.

Per the

Bureau of Labor Statistics, seniors spent an average of

$53 a month on drugs in 1997. Over 2 million seniors

spend more than $100 a month for medication.

The

findings by the Families USA report are already having an

impact on the ongoing political debate regarding

prescription drug coverage for seniors. A complete copy

of the report can be obtained via the Internet at www.familiesusa.org

For more

related information online:

www.ncpa.org/pi/health

www.aoa.dhhs.gov

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