All Bluffton Icon News

By Ruth Lim, Student Pharmacist with Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist
On behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

The Swedish pop group ABBA was formed in 1972 in Stockholm and the name was a palindrome of the founding band members’ first names. The group won a music contest in 1974 with their song Waterloo. 

On November 1, 1976, the group released the song Money, Money, Money. The song reached number 1 in many European countries, but only hit 56 in the United States. ABBA is still one the best-selling music acts of all time with hits between 1974 to 1982 and most recently in 2022. 

ABBA’s music became popular again with the release of Mamma Mia! the Broadway musical and the movie. Money, Money, Money was part of the score for the theater. Anni-Frid Lyngstad sang the vocals for ABBA on the album while Meryl Streep sang it in the 2008 film Mamma Mia!

Money can often be an important issue when evaluating drug therapies. Prescription pricing can vary from a few dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. How does one find if a patient assistance program is available?

In 2021, a Gallup poll found an estimated 18 million Americans went without a prescribed medication because they could not afford it. Ten percent said they skipped taking medications to save money. Americans not taking their medications causes an estimated 25% of hospitalizations and causes death in 125,000 people a year. 

One way that people can save money on their drugs is through patient assistance programs (PAP). They can be run by drug manufacturers, charities or government agencies. Some of them cover the full cost, while others only pay part.