4th Annual Survey

2026 State of Drug Access Report

Drug affordability now determines how people experience care, not just how much they pay.

1,000+ insured U.S. consumers surveyed in December 2025.

Get the full report

Download the full report

All findings, cross-insights, and 4-year trend analysis.

or give us a call 855-972-9070

Key findings from the executive summary

This white paper examines how insured U.S. consumers experience prescription drug pricing at the point of care, and how those experiences shape behavior, trust, and downstream risk. The findings reveal a durable pattern: affordability stress is widespread, persistent, and no longer confined to high-cost or specialty drugs.

~80% of insured consumers experience sticker shock below $250

42.6% were prescribed a drug too expensive to fill in the last 12 months

83.9% want providers to automatically switch to the lowest-cost option

55.6% don’t trust they’re paying the lowest available price

16.4% leave prescriptions unfilled or ration medication

~40% report prior authorization delays or denials

What consumers want

They want cost handled earlier. Automatically. Clinically.

More than 80 percent want providers to automatically select lower-cost options when clinically appropriate.

The data shows affordability performs best when handled inside care delivery, before prescriptions reach the pharmacy counter, rather than shifted to patients after the fact.

Inside the report

Price transparency

A majority of respondents find it difficult to predict their final out-of-pocket cost, and more than half do not trust they are paying the lowest available price.

Consumer behavior

Nearly half of consumers contact their physician to request a lower-cost alternative. 16% report leaving prescriptions unfilled or rationing medication.

Trend analysis

Four consecutive years of survey data reveal stable, structural patterns: affordability pressure is constant, and trust is migrating from plans to physicians.

Nothing in the data suggests consumers need more tools, apps, or responsibility. Everything suggests they want cost handled earlier, automatically, and clinically.

Get the report