Seniors Don't Follow Prescription Orders

About a quarter of those who responded to the survey reported forgoing prescription drugs because of cost. That problem has been well publicized, and it is part of the reason lawmakers approved a new prescription drug benefit under Medicare. The benefit is expected to save those senior citizens who have no coverage an estimated 53 percent on their prescription costs.

But a comparable number of senior citizens also declined to take their medicine because of nonfinancial considerations. The medicine made them feel worse, or they didn't think it was helping, or they felt they took too many medicines already, Safran said.

She said other studies, smaller in scope, indicate that doctors and patients aren't discussing these matters.

The survey also looked at the issue of importing U.S.-made drugs sold in Canada or Mexico, the subject of a hearing Tuesday by a Senate health committee. It found that 5 percent of seniors nationally reported buying medicine in Canada or Mexico. That number jumped to about 11 percent among those with no prescription drug coverage.