African Americans have higher rates of nonprescription drug utilizatio
n than white Americans, but lower rates of prescription drug use. In l
ight of this discrepancy, this study examines 281 lower income African
American households in the rural South for access to prescription dru
gs and coping strategies when households cannot afford prescription dr
ugs. About half of the households could not always afford needed presc
riptions, and ability to pay was related positively to Medicaid covera
ge. Households that could not afford prescriptions employed five strat
egies: (1) prioritizing, (2)financing, (3) rationing, (4) substituting
, and (5) postponing. Financing, postponing, and rationing were cited
most frequently. The impact of culture and areas for future research a
re discussed.