The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality collects data on healthcare utilization for public education and healthcare improvement purposes. Here are several statistically significant findings on prescription drug costs in the 10 largest states by population in 2010:
- While 61.3 percent of the U.S. population (noninstitutionalized) had prescription drug expenditures, the figures were lower for California (47.7 percent), Texas (53.1 percent), New York (53.4 percent) and Florida (58.1 percent).
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- Average prescription drug expenses nationally were $1,432 per person, though that amount was significantly lower in Texas, at $1,090 per person.
- While Medicare and Medicaid paid 24.8 percent and 11.3 percent of prescription drug expenses nationally, the programs paid less in Georgia, at 15.4 percent and 6.5 percent respectively.
- On average, 21.8 percent of the U.S. population paid prescription drug expenses out of pocket. This figure was lower in California (16.5 percent), New York (15.6 percent) and Michigan (16.2 percent).
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