Don't tell my wife: Stretching prescriptions

Martin Schwarzenberger, a 56-year-old accounting manager for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, s stretching out his prescriptions. Martin, who has Type 1 diabetes, is not cutting his insulin, but has started scrimping on a variety of other medications he takes, including Lipitor.

"Don't tell my wife, but if I have 30 days worth of pills, I'll usually try to stretch those out to 35 or 40 days," he said. “You're trying to keep a house over your head and use your money to pay all your bills."

Advice: Ask your doctor which of your prescriptions you can stretch with the least harm.

Read another story of access to care.

Thanks to Stephanie Saul for the source article in the Oct. 22 issue of the New York Times.