Medication Rationing: Why Some Patients Can't Get the Drugs They Need

When you need a medicine to stay alive or feel better, but your pharmacy says it’s out of stock—or your insurance won’t cover it—that’s medication rationing, the practice of limiting access to necessary drugs due to cost, supply, or policy. It’s not just a hospital policy or a headline—it’s what happens when a senior skips doses to make their insulin last, or a parent buys half a pill because the copay is $200. This isn’t rare. In 2023, over 40% of U.S. adults reported delaying or skipping medication because of cost, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. And it’s not just about price. Drug shortages, supply chain gaps, and insurance rules all add up to a system where getting your medicine feels like a gamble.

Drug shortages, when manufacturers can’t produce enough of a medicine to meet demand. Also known as pharmaceutical shortages, they’ve hit everything from antibiotics to heart meds and cancer drugs. The FDA tracks over 300 active shortages at any time, and many of these aren’t temporary—they linger for months or years. Why? Manufacturing problems, low profit margins, and consolidation in the generic drug industry mean companies stop making cheaper drugs if they don’t make enough money. Meanwhile, healthcare costs, the rising price of prescriptions driven by patents, exclusivity, and market control. Also known as drug pricing, they force patients to choose between meds and rent, food, or utilities. These two issues—shortages and pricing—feed each other. When brand-name drugs lose patent protection, manufacturers should switch to cheaper generics. But sometimes, the generic version never arrives, or it’s priced just as high. That’s where generic drugs, identical copies of brand-name medications sold at lower prices. Also known as generic medications, they’re supposed to be the solution—but even they’re not always available or affordable.

What you’ll find in these articles isn’t theory. It’s real-world fixes. You’ll read about how authorized generics can cut your costs without switching brands, how drug interaction checkers help avoid dangerous combos when you’re juggling multiple pills, and how OpenFDA lets you see side effect reports that drug companies don’t always tell you about. You’ll learn why market exclusivity extensions delay generics for years, and how patent expiry timelines can mean big savings—if you know when to act. These aren’t abstract policies. They’re the reasons your prescription costs $10 one month and $300 the next. This collection gives you the tools to understand why, and what you can do about it.