It always troubled Deane Kirchner to throw away good medicine. When residents of the Lincoln Glen long-term facility in San Jose, Calif., where she is the director of nursing, changed dosages, had adverse reactions, or died, she did what health professionals regularly do: sent their unused medicines to be destroyed.
“Throughout my entire nursing career, it’s something I‘ve done,” said Kirchner, who has been a nurse for 21 years. “And each time I would think: ‘It’s such a waste. There are people out there who have to choose whether to buy medications or buy groceries.’”
Lots of people, in fact. In 2012, studies indicate, about one in four American adults — perhaps 50 million people — failed to fill a prescription they needed because of the cost. Among adults who were uninsured, the figure was 43 percent.
[For more of this story, written by David Bornstein, go to http://opinionator.blogs.nytim...oney-and-lives/?_r=1]
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