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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce the proportion of people who can't get prescription medicines when they need them — AHS‑06 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), CDC/NCHS

Baseline: 6.8 percent of persons were unable to obtain or delayed in obtaining necessary prescription medicines due to cost in 2019

Target: 6.3 percent

Numerator
Number of persons who report not being able to obtain or having delay in obtaining needed prescription medicines due to cost or affordability.
Denominator
Number of persons.
Target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
Target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were not available for this objective. The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because it was a statistically significant improvement from the baseline and Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts viewed this as an ambitious yet achievable target upon review of 10 years of analogous data.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)
Numerator:
During the past 12 months, were any of the following true for {YOU/CHILD}? …{YOU/CHILD} DELAYED filling a prescription to save money.
  1. YES
  2. NO
  3. REFUSED
  4. DON'T KNOW
During the past 12 months, was there any time when {YOU/CHILD} needed prescription medication, but DID NOT GET IT because of the cost?
  1. YES
  2. NO
  3. REFUSED
  4. DON'T KNOW

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Related, which includes objectives that have the same or a similar intent to either a measurable or developmental/archived objective in HP2020.
Revision History
  • Revised. 

    In 2022, the data source was changed from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to the National Health Interview Survey. The baseline was revised from 3.4% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2019 and the target was revised from 3.0% to 6.3%.
  • Revised. 

    In 2024, the following categories were recalculated with the use of a newer variable: Never married, American Indian or Alaska Native only, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only, 2 or more races only, Not Hispanic or Latino American Indian or Alaska Native only, Not Hispanic or Latino Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only, Not Hispanic or Latino 2 or more races only. Estimates from data year 2022 or earlier may vary slightly from estimates previously reported. The baseline, baseline year and target were not affected.