FACTS ABOUT OLDER AMERICANS

• Every day 10,000 people turn 65 in the U.S.[1]and the number of Americans ages 65+ is projected to more than double from 46 million to over 98 million in the next three [2]
• The] senior population is expected to grow by 49.5 percent – from approximately 49.36 million to 73.79 million – by 2030. Growth rates will vary by state, from 33.4% in New York to 85.1% in Alaska.[3]
• For 12 specialty drugs used to treat four health conditions – hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer – Medicare Part D enrollees face at least $4,000 and as much as nearly $12,000 in annual out-of-pocket costs in 2016 for one drug [4]
• In 2016, Medicare offered 886 Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) across the 34 PDP regions nationwide (excluding the territories), a 24% drop since 2014 and the smallest number of PDPs available since Part D started in [5]
• The average cost for a year’s supply of 622 prescription drugs widely used by seniors doubled between 2007-2013 to more than $11,000, which is almost half of the median income for Medicare beneficiaries.[6]
• 90% of older Americans rely on one prescription medication on a regular basis; as many as 40% use five or more weekly; and 12% take at least ten drugs per [7]
• As of 2014, 40% of seniors purchased prescription medications online, more than any other age group.[8]
• 58% of senior citizens use the Internet on a regular basis for information, news and email[9]; 78% of people over 65 own a cell phone and 55% own a [10]
• Approximately 92% of older adults have at least one chronic disease, and 77% have at least [11]
• Seniors with chronic conditions see an average of 14 different doctors and fill an average of 50 prescriptions a [12]
• Between 2000-2010, the average out-of-pocket spending among Medicare beneficiaries increased 44% percent, from $3,293 to $4,734.[13]
• People age 65 and older make up 13% of the U.S. population, yet they account for 34% of all prescription medications and 30% of all non-prescription [14]

FACTS ABOUT ONLINE PHARMACIES

• Currently there are 35,000 active online drug sellers[15]; a recent review of more than 11,000 websites selling prescription medications online to U.S. consumers found approximately 96 percent appear to be in conflict with U.S. laws and pharmacy practice standards[16]; and 50% of medicines sold online are fake or [17]
• Medicines sold online often contain little or no active ingredients; are manufactured in unsafe conditions; and/or contain floor wax, mercury, concrete, chalk, boric acid, road tar, paint, anti- freeze and other poisons.[18]
• Counterfeit drugs are responsible for up to 1 million deaths annually worldwide[19]; and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the counterfeit drug trade was $431 billion a year industry in 2012.[20]
• Nearly one in four adult Internet consumers has purchased prescription medicine online and almost one in five of those indicated that they bought from a website that was not associated with a local pharmacy or health insurance [21]
• Buying prescription medicines from illegal online pharmacies increases the risk of credit card and identity [22]
• Online pharmacies that display the VIPPS seal have successfully undergone the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s rigorous screening process, which includes a thorough review of all policies and procedures as well as on-site inspections of facilities used by the site to receive, review and dispense [23]

FACTS ABOUT HEALTHCARE SPENDING IN THE U.S.

• U.S. spending on prescription drugs is projected to continue climbing faster than overall health care expenditures; cumulatively from 2013 to 2018, prescription drug spending is predicted to rise by an average of 7.3% annually.[24]

• Total prescriptions dispensed in 2015 reached 4.5 billion and total spending on medicines in the U.S. reached $310 billion in 2015, up 8.5 percent from the previous year.[25]

• Two-thirds of traditional Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older have multiple chronic conditions and more than 4 million (about 15%) have at least six long-term ailments. Those sickest seniors account for more than 41% of the $324 billion spent on traditional [26]