WASHINGTON, D.C. — An estimated 18 million U.S. adults reported in June that they were unable to pay for at least one doctor-prescribed medication for their household during the prior three months, according to a new Gallup survey.

That’s about 7% of American adults, up from the 6% reported in March. However, in that time period, Gallup says the percentage jumped from 10% to 19% among those in households earning less than $24,000 a year, a statistically significant increase.

Gallup says the inability to pay for a prescription runs twice as high for households with an adult younger than 65, compared with households that have at least one senior. That’s despite the fact that prescription drug usage climbs significantly with age.

Gallup also reports that being unable to afford medication over the prior three months climbs with medical need.

“Among respondents with three or more chronic conditions, or eight or more prescriptions, reports of being unable to pay for a prescribed drug in the household reach 11% and 18%, respectively,” wrote Gallup. “Among respondents with no chronic conditions and no more than two prescribed drugs, these household rates drop to 4% and 5%, respectively.”

And the analytics company says respondents with certain chronic conditions are significantly more likely to suffer medication insecurity than adults are generally.

High costs often lead to Americans going without prescribed medications. Gallup says 10% of Americans report skipping dosages in the prior 12 months as a way of saving money.

“This rate is considerably higher among lower-income households. Among respondents in households earning less than $48,000 annually, for example, 18% report that they or someone in their household had skipped a pill,” said Gallup. “Even among higher-income households earning $90,000-$180,000, 7% of respondents report having skipped a pill in the prior 12 months."

A new Gallup poll conducted in May shows the support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. is at a record-high of 70% among Americans.

Gallup said in a press release Tuesday that the latest figure marks an increase of 10% since 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay and lesbian marriages.

Support on the issue has been trending upward for a quarter of a century now and has steadily risen.

Gallup

Only 27% of Americans supported legal recognition of gay marriages in 1996 when the organization first asked the public the question. Eventually, support reached the majority level for the first time in 2011.

In its findings, Gallup noted a shift in support among Republicans, a party that has consistently been opposed to same-sex marriage. For the first time, a majority of Americans in the GOP showed support on the issue, 55% of them.

“The latest increase in support among all Americans is driven largely by changes in Republicans' views,” Gallup wrote.

Currently, Gallup says 83% of Democrats support same-sex marriage, which is on par with the level of support recorded over the past few years, suggesting support may have reached a ceiling for the group, at least for now.

Meanwhile, Gallup says older U.S. adults, who were once holdouts in support for gay marriage, now come down on the same side of the issue as young adults.

“Gallup's trend illustrates that Americans' views can shift in a relatively short time span, creating a new consensus – even as polarization on other measures intensifies,” wrote Gallup.