SANTA MONICA, Calif. – GoodRx just released a new tracker examining how inflation is affecting the cost of prescriptions, healthcare services, and everyday essentials like rent and food. Among the findings: costs for critical services—including prescription medications, hospital care, dental visits, and nursing homes—are rising faster than overall inflation.
“Inflation is relentlessly pushing up healthcare costs, with prescription medication prices continuing to climb. With tariffs and other economic policies on the horizon, this challenge may intensify – but consumers shouldn’t have to shoulder that cost burden alone,” said Tori Marsh, director of Research at GoodRx. “GoodRx users saved an average of 83% on retail prices for prescription medications last year – that kind of savings can make the difference between skipping essential medications and staying on treatment.”
GoodRx is one of the few organizations consistently tracking these trends. This tracker offers both a 10-year and a 1-year view, and arrives just as policymakers weigh new tariffs and economic decisions that could further impact costs. With Americans spending nearly $61 billion out of pocket on prescriptions in 2024 alone, GoodRx helped ease the burden—saving users nearly $17 billion last year.
Key takeaways from the tracker include:
- Prescription drug list prices are up 39% since 2014, with consistent year-over-year increases of 3–4% since 2017.
- Healthcare costs—including hospital services, nursing homes, and even veterinary services—continue to rise, often outpacing both wage growth and core inflation.
- Prescription medications have seen the highest inflation compared to other medical goods, like nonprescription medications and medical equipment.
The full report is available here: https://www.goodrx.com/healthcare-access/research/drug-prices-growing-faster-than-commodities-and-services
