NORFOLK, VA — So many people are making tough decisions right now about whether they can afford to pay all of their bills and pay for the medication they need.
Many of the people struggling are senior citizens, and they told News 3 that they've cut back on those prescriptions, something Bob Batcher is familiar with.
"It is a major preoccupation because most seniors are on a fixed income," said Batcher who is retired. "It's life taking that piece of pie and if the piece gets bigger and bigger the pie gets smaller and smaller. At that point, you have to start making decisions."
Despite being on Medicare, Batcher said some of the decisions he's made in the past included managing the amount of medicine he takes. He told News 3, last year, he had to stretch out the prescription he had after discovering his medicine was three times the amount he was paying prior.
"From September to December, I fell into that trap of counting pills to see if I could make it to the beginning of the year," Batcher said. "Turns out, that I had so overmanaged my pills that I had plenty left over. That's not good because it meant I hadn't taken my full regiment of what I needed."
Batcher said he also tried switching out the brand of his medicine for his diabetes.
"I talked to my doctor about getting me off the best one because it was tear free it was way too expensive and so I asked him to put me on a different prescription. Essentially, I'm playing doctor with economics," adds Batcher.
Batcher isn't the only one who's had to make those sorts of decisions.
According to Dr. Anna Peoples, of People's Pharmacy, Medicaid and Medicare don't always cover the cost of every prescription.
"I see that all the time, that has never gone away. People are always rationing their medications because they don't have enough money to take them. Some don't even have it in their budget to see the doctor when they're supposed to," said Dr. Peoples said.
Batcher and Dr. Peoples believe more can be done to help those struggling to pay their bills and afford their needed medication.
"Caring for our seniors is expensive but our seniors have given their time and for many seniors they've given back to the community today so it's well worth the investment," said Batcher.
