Drug Accessibility among the Elderly 38 VOL. 50 NO. 2 2016 ACTA MEDICA PHILIPPINA ______________ Portions of the paper were presented at the 17th National Institutes of Health Anniversary, February 26-27, 2015, Bayanihan Center, Unilab, Pasig City; at the 1st DOH Public Health Convention on the Health and Wellness of Senior Citizens, Manila; and at the 2015 Philippine Pharmacists Association National Convention, April 22-26, 2015, SMX Convention Center, Bacolod City. Corresponding author: Roderick L. Salenga, MPH Department of Pharmacy College of Pharmacy University of the Philippines Manila Taft Avenue cor. Pedro Gil St., Ermita, Manila 1000 Philippines Telephone: +632 5266115 Email: ericsalenga@gmail.com Effect of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 (Republic Act 9994) on Drug Accessibility among the Elderly Roderick L. Salenga, 1 Monet M. Loquias, 1 and Jesus N. Sarol 2 1 Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of the Philippines Manila 2 National Teachers Training Center for the Health Professions, University of the Philippines Manila Introduction As of 2010, the Philippines had 6.3 million people aged 60 years and older who accounted for 6.8% of the country’s total population. It is estimated that in the year 2020, this will rise to 10.2%. Elderly persons, as compared to younger individuals, are more likely to have health shocks, cost- intensive chronic illnesses, and higher probability of living with severe functional limitations. This situation is aggravated by the fact that they, too, are frequently economically vulnerable and at higher risk of poverty, as disposable income decreases with age. 1 Given that medicine prices in the Philippines are considered too high compared to neighboring Southeast Asian countries 2 and that the rapid growth of this elderly segment is expected to continue in high rate, it is very important to develop programs and services that can address their needs for medicines and other health commodities. In 2010, Republic Act 9994, also known as “The Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010,” was signed into law. It was in this law that Section 4 of Republic Act No. 7432, as amended by Republic Act No. 9257, otherwise known as the "Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003," was further amended. Senior citizens are now entitled to the grant of twenty percent (20%) discount and exemption from the value–added tax (VAT), if applicable, on the sale of medicines. Over the years, much about how demographic ageing impacts on public expenditure have been studied while little effort has been given to understand the economic consequences of demographic changes for individuals, households and communities, most especially the elderly. With ageing, substantial increases in health care spending are anticipated. In 1994, it was estimated that 18.7% of all health expenditures was attributed to the elderly even though they constituted only about 5.5% of the population 3 . In 2004, health expenditure of the elderly was projected to increase to 23.5% in 2010 and 29.5% in 2020. Of this total health expenditure, drugs comprise 18 to 21%. 4 The general objective of the study is to determine the impact of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 on drug accessibility among the elderly. Specifically, it aims to: a) determine the effects of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act among the elderly to their economic ability to purchase prescribed medicines, adherence to prescribed therapeutic regimens, and utilization of privileges related to purchase of medicines; and, b) describe their level of satisfaction with the provisions of the law and its implementation. Materials and Methods The study involved a descriptive, cross-sectional design using survey as the data collection method. The sample size for the elderly respondents was computed using the formula ORIGINAL ARTICLE