COPING WITH THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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.