Pills scattered on $100 bills Although patient out-of-pocket costs for drugs vary greatly, patients paid a median of 53% more for specialty drugs in 2016 than they did in 2010. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Patients are paying more out of pocket because of increases in wholesale list prices for medications, according to a recent study reported by JAMA Network Open. As a result, patients may be unable to afford their prescriptions, which can lead to negative health outcomes.

The median drug wholesale list price increased by 129% from 2010 to 2016, while median patient out-of-pocket costs increased by 53% and median insurance payments after rebates and discounts increased by 64%, researchers found.

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