That's because more effective and precise treatments are becoming available, and with more precision comes a larger price tag to counteract how much it costs to develop the drugs.
But the recently launched OneRx app thinks it has a way to fix that: By combining coupons and insurance discounts, the app figures out just how little an individual has to spend on a medication.
The app is free, and it works whether you're one of the almost 90% of Americans who are insured or not.
For example, Harvoni, a hepatitis C treatment that has incredibly high cure rates but is notorious for costing a ton of money, OneRx says on its website it can get for you for as little as $5 for a 30-day prescription, as opposed to $37,800 it would cost at wholesale.
Here's how it works: The app figures out how much you should save based on your insurance by taking the information from your insurance card - submitted either by picture or by being put in manually. It then combines how much your insurance will cover with coupons and directs you a nearby pharmacy that meets all the right requirements.
It's part of Truveris, a prescription drug analytics and software company. It collects data from the health care industry with the intent to empower patients to act like consumers, Stephany Verstraete, head of marketing for Truveris told Business Insider.
It's not the first prescription-saver app out there - GoodRx has been around for a few years, and other apps have come and go. But Verstraete said the thing that distinguishes it from other apps is that it works for both those with and without insurance.
And so far, it's been working.
"The feedback, both from the user and the medical community, when we talked to them about it has been overwhelmingly positive," she said.