44 Percent in U.S. Use "Prescription Drugs"

[theearthisround]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041202/D86NJPOG0.html

"The annual report on Americans' health found that just over 44 percent of all Americans take at least one prescription drug, and 16.5 percent take at least three.

Those rates were up from 39 percent and 12 percent between 1988 and 1994, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported."

"The study also found that spending on health climbed 9.3 percent in 2002 to $1.6 trillion."

"Nearly half of all women were taking prescription drugs - 49 percent - compared to 39 percent of men.

Usage peaked at 84 percent for people aged 65 and over, with the top rate at 89 percent for black women over 65.

Even for people under age 18, however, nearly one-fourth - 24.1 percent - were taking at least one prescription medication. The rate rose to 34.7 percent between age 18 and 44; for those ages 45 to 64, it was 62.1 percent."

[Wickerman]

1. key sentence

Drug expenditures have risen at least 15 percent every year since 1998.

[vpigrad]

2. I doubt that!

I don't know nearly that many people that can afford to pay the bribes to the medical cartel in order to be allowed to buy a prescription drug. This topic came-up at work a few weeks ago and other than one guy that was taking pain medication for a kidney stone, none of the guys had been to a doctor in the previous year or were taking anything that wasn't over the counter. Bushie has made the cost of health care completely out of the reach of the average person.

[forintegrity]

3. This is why they need to screen all our kids

for mental health problems so they can demand that we buy more drugs!

[hatrack]

5. But also consider how many women use birth control pills

They're only available by prescription, and would be a big element in an analysis like this.

[Cinletharwi]

4. Less than I figured

I haven't met a girl from my hometown in 4 years who was not literally a walking pharmacy.

[maxsolomon]

6. so much for the war on drugs

rank hipocrisy from a bunch of moralizing pill poppers.

makes me want to twist up a fatty.