%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 18 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R >> /XObject << /I1 13 0 R /I2 14 0 R /I3 15 0 R /I4 24 0 R /I5 25 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 16 0 R /GS2 17 0 R /GS3 20 0 R /GS4 21 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text /ImageC ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 1.0.2 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20241219030648+00'00') /ModDate (D:20241219030648+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 280 >> stream xPN0SBq~NBxH@Q _Dp %Zɳ^y3C8r]@bҔ*rG` O=j5\hmjyy@mANDIuJ(P"gZ*e "̢+V"VƗSjfZ->z:Mb*-ucs4D'1 HlXF4T<3a;a/(#'WZ 5V}1 &tpjo|~ endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 13 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 600 /Height 314 /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /Filter /DCTDecode /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 11405>> stream JFIFC    $.' ",#(7),01444'9=82<.342C  2!!22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222:X" )QMʟQ7 <6Pw \RNNmGEB|hΞY▦~s^:loT&$+ل%y5.Ӣ'g[wȆXz~wW'ቍGЀwrGݎkz/$o2hy@KFem {t '8is}]]=*{ɟٰcSY-Vy=A;]֧y՗Oj=n_yfto'=7?w~O}{p⽐Dkӯ; fwU[%{*pz:Sݯ ;a?;z~ ?-cl;FIތ:9-{y-;džgFny!*5鍽\]GG/_ceɻ5}c-y9gn9Qoײ gSJfAz1?Β?:OϙvGг'ЕٻUvBjO`]qN%!tܝLr kJ^h+]v>'Z/+1bzUaҬIvp$f|s[6s%MwVy➥]tO-7߾uhϝ'5Z'jTz3U_j- =} :WW+CH)p܅n={^"H;8΃/@ P0!"124#$3`ApM _Ki-9{u3pyccY֞X req]*LLxE.Z<9Dq5|ۘVIbr׉;BcF>n6 1p컋/fEnY>_Ɩr@a;re,eҞkɣ%-I'#*jگ0FKFy:Esv+Sꀦ像Y؈œ&^mpE%<\Ms25m行B{.]%4"=e־g?3#ieд[=qhڢ:ja( c1,N*.ەC \ZouHb.󝮊=f!^qxbLɅY|{s)ۑ1 '{ V_O Qb)v" ca,{[||QXHn JٱA>|C99kO0ɮ'S&Bwsk* 4#=dBKUݛەAWepf6KR./քTQgnI,KG~7-ru_;00>И(1v,婒bgN`l*I1rȩsR‹6:쥳2?,_IIW tU0OZ־IuG%K;imQ=c|R0 7V\ CED eJ4~V*+[\w[g0T7$ܘɌBGm1ɘs"dfl{S< I1زkM\ڗw\t2SLbPaf/U>f-xJ)p;ᄈ 9g0.n` (l09ŋGcҭC"bcָHL* e݆>6V2,ڹ{nƲ~7ֶU6T]幊9,0Yo1&"M(%K,2!Ô.\Y1e3es3hgk_c n@။ G~|&}t߅^ѩaA%Ve/!01@A "2Q3PaqBCR?dӶ"1wSVX4&?cG=هt=!pd'乌= Xt瓗r{䳵k$/Us ڛ[(9桨]/m M)D_msD3{E8Gq n_!$TmO:7p)~r_{YZlx _54(A 5wcw*FK.i`ce PDW. 5M^+ m𤑱NR˸DrQ@ȆZ`)dEOL79*xW Vل$["=RG|sgu%llj{#_5H֙0kWb*X|>zK?"c䋿V_)Crw qVpJ,'zηFl͉ |l?Km߷BL恲$n]ұ<AULf J9/Rfc>z6Iȩ ?pck>1pf^gP[{]6ŗi,8]4/OU;=WpAatѰWJ T.n>]PӲ-22Eu#FiV@9ֆ%0!1@A 2Pq`?c[)ѦQizڽKWĨ7mS)0;Lkg8$=ax jp|5HSOC%,x GDZ ` ]f*ohMζ "r3lԯ)\2 زLK#*B(if!i+6[[ݍm IypA<6y25M,p!{5@DZ<⤩E?wVsNq?m0mPA兏 [;!"1Q2@Aq 0PaB#3RrC`bsp?q0P\E&B+6%X\,VnEcxPcX-TU['* ne4WĔϟyU[&-:G*Z }_teo[[d0Np}OC ɵUD]BѢcN adǚss|9ȵ @J^ӿ%4紴fsA!ƓNѐX[MJS8:_vGZ/|N dU.-|O ]w^_d|\&фzw}f]Tp4\r ucD̫DI˵i׈<Į~ҹ1\LGf>p]B妝 %nGR˹Gh/9^#(hvDLuTEҞY3M2NEp7OpX׈φ6qzީØMkm,?D)_;-봼NvRgeџ]Lqy&^0$&^/,2\k@ӮHJ!uGiÖakZ+ULNӗm(⍉QAI{40 =2NO4bbJ=;Bf;.)9e ^Bg!TL| s^J :+]۹E8QBNs: aCͼ^'H;N*bp!N,ۗu˻ RUMӕ ;ZT׎J{.]S-DI&$ɉEpuF0?&0`->!ϮYoT~ 5YPzޟF0 Q)V4P}l$iFN-Sߝ4OsO *9=d?} uC7Υ ilڼ7]ʼnC?;gEa%:nVk~AEKdH ?Mi(aua~-kmf$(MՔ%oQk&In2'e V& B4~ nBf0Cxn2Ap*;s"`@;ƁI2x;bq=|Y"-.i9MLR?f>y aA`x;q7z6n0zeNg.L2<.۵m|FہwlZay@x+ڜ\%Тܖy :QAO$-C#r-Ӷ e;POWd(^s߈2w -ankAs}RFie]l1 +SfzmaCF2\!?-!1AQ@aq P0`p?!2`;x'Jz >T`[wj`cѭn{V?&VuiW)7BH?^2qSE@%Ҋ}ߐs0ORS=Z|44A)%/=)sޕ*-0t*K)j Dov $5d8<<]ۡK8 k!.V x9$KLPqDwSxl0f:Pe2/1,`ne*K`=>jn@'k6 'jO nmy| d u`K lwE5<*bfJO- !PB|nyxx+h9mɌƓGi2MJzO?j>=J;_(1~zg)y`yZy%rH3bpiX`wSdl_ ՏV /J\M@  u> ڑVj}0z 39Qw X+5&Kp߅L7&)3 iK,m:ԌJ~_ZKߦjnt".ۛ7Cu ~N? `lCӈ"` Rq tHTX>ၓfE ԋ' };sP C|K֡}Ax|Ps +%J3ufc]/r5Br j1 C$? =Q`zP4H8j|Rw,]g\t/PSPS6464?qBPrE]-y8KNԤ#[^ }1O66XFdc)/ňr-ȲP-L*2Cˋ&\[71Nf6 ~9.i$@n GY?ȍ'<^|׭$BwDY:dթi&](ѫ$~3r}Q~[W#^aA(oѥc4\ԡ#ELWڑXZeB1[ Pҕi@Q13vcU0wRcHh)"}kQKJSr4)W)=N\"Wh06J:SX1A5hؖV-jRI{jZ@l4(lѽ. , Dqΐ+c꠩"“SL5 yU°3NFhdװ -J?~̃T+U nu2HQIr,JrtKKG,(L1h#bQ_:*a}_esJ^6aDŋ!o>Jp$ ~dz@ ]r'$T+MKNm\`A[Xyfi W 2_ҀmH9.L~g~dg-5u4|ޒRhC>cG xM^sqD=V2FF"~ )~{FiID+E*|(v9o.QqS4!E r:ZOb<ʓ2Gmsc6lr4N6#N-7OJjHC@4u)KץD uxA\1B YhI }έ唓G,~VP?_إyDk-#ˎR0˳& va/CafYv(X$H 4 ۪E3m(źƇ>VEHԤ{x|>X%3\H<QQ3TF/\?/ڋ 97FD=wTE;2*\;I!ùأ=CtƇ:-aCbȣIew0 E1S3FOi)R "aʌY8Ua)yR<0jzZw,'gz7_ v<PXNJdp!l#K3 n9A_3B h*]ˆjbϱF/ZfZoΎfū8IzYvLRhijHIJ,[J1,T^Y lw6,6M?D5j*,!1AQa@q 0P`p?v*yطK4@2d;JiiH }U \ 5$[o5&c "H#vbxϕN#Y.]D|RLWCLd!$Y^c.;nJ#*&G"bZ|F?&(IYr*zYFͣ W&>i)9MBDÌTDįjE&!bDŇS|Hෞ `Ky#ӋL0HJCI&|bbqk H-e?mP& 'G v>=ₕi؛(ArKJѢbd=Qtyxl,f%j9lƂH6k9f?})|PAK_J:P`;Q<նuI|S*D$Ō1%pR sN}5sIWByKD8k1=^,@ټL0<'zC$@bݽ*t+G =vS45Dwœ%]^ȏVyoM]e6ċ[ QrKpbp@3iE9eB䫐*S6R \mw&ڨGTDUX$xm"R'#{I¢$nV>9R./BA3ƚS @#<2.1&?G?*'\#:% rXJ6h0(TcM$i'vA=2'@~)H{DHt1E9{^@ TɤNHYڑ @``苕N;4蜼:>{JP.aʭt7\WxX9*$(.wZl<jO%aY颈=L Rw>+n,O_Cne~02:ˌ]sS=%9 #ZJd@`Ukk50 J8JW0ჭDPS2F8m돀Z(r;aҐiK=U5-,m<#Aap+gm.'8tO$a= ͘i$w !(cgF308JMJvD r!b q((w#dKtC0H-})=4~D;$Pn5!"8'Ē b&⠭d xI5hX L)()HMk t (X"Z!hѺ):q)MNFx"ah%06U[!Hb9-Yb`8 bLk!„ Oc{w,A'kIҍ7 p,%o|)`LDN9BȤjU@S#[t $JAM]yNjDJaɨ"1"pJhF 8T,tv Ff "[RǩV *iedP(I4OK 䶾(rz s29"He.|j c$dd=xqHO!/ ;'&nDQ0J5N|Ev;tK/w}>*&^<."Adt>xj`1`bzђÍtZ7~B&u0HP5J䈤jVtܲmrZ d0WDQ$R`1=(| 1OEB UI̴bIwRV@8['|V'Cfcep|Tbdz4D44:c>l#ٰ֬zgibcm{#+Fd|f:fk)k?bђPL!XP DѥPA18qPR"bs+90 zGջlUd4 Hp%GNX n"BTE]? /q;ڝ fwǿqxrAt*m'+cs/& Wq%sB:B8L}&'?%0A:?4們3=jH-ߴ> /ColorSpace /DeviceGray /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5329>> stream xqDǯ뺒$ILfff&I335Lf2\3I2L&_3$3I$d+$\W=9y9lLss99P`0 `0 `0 `0 !U_:~u = F~sZŻدns⃪Qg¢G(F[-s͓^ DZ>d>3Dr#\OΉ, ZFwjux<;4Ƀxز#_v?nO<|{7c(b{Oū}w[N e~Hs䎷wwOn<1B.k+%U=eԘ -mCj)t:}c'ϓ*n"-ovkZ?R"V%wʶ7s]eX&eǕq` 1-2e JYHCFOUam 7:(Ԙt_@ހN t{B~ :V@}o#7!z^&zFL:ʤn X<- %"bNWqF c` M'4?cH-V`ǵAF>=#Ěm75dB I&7E5<>-͏їFǿl3M6x]Y&)2 FoΌ N.<t i4wL\^=_|Fo؏IȄ ik$ɄL?{?|tmCޮ=~T&iTevϷ'奔s?EꋄLPY͹箵?@L:Aˤ3y_:9AtA*0qVe- e6g)%a}.qKcI V/xʤzM|\ HSql0;*%+Mذ-闛obebu2iU&lLbtIcxb5^B#8 ޮaʻ _ w>j+L:$"&O;bZ K1 jmU玫ݢ=S/J<WO2'_yUPvp=`"aL5 Nl7"rlQT޼==-I[Se* F'(\`󴯉'{:נnVZ TG6*r$Tyx^LJū.C<3` %ANrxUo"˄ 0&$tO F&bIcW3GG͈ y!{m,LkCI d,(2"@ dR%F1thUL8Rݒ^+v9^?sʯYעDl~Qd" N2sc|ov}=F,3K#vxIvG^,[OM&wI[#,Jޙ\ض;L^fv[LbyYvM#/EI#/Zס$(ڼ ," &LK/IF i-Zx彰픢]MKeR n(PhV'LҸ\f$w/ e]"mɷWO߻˱ KerSPe (ӼGMȈ}X?ʍto7ZKl+81_Y&ǡd uʤ1Vw!sQ"/$zNkw(t)2BWQW"˄OXLp:e‡# וzn2F}qlc5ؾ:WH xLz LP:d# Q>(MRېd2Qt$o~R$YR5,-nޜLr_βehd" 2k1lvO X= eC p+[R=jU!֖}_DޟY2 (*wkZQ>Fl̲soR#^u3hhyTԲt.LtD8sk4z4Rbl@zp4hy0Tn\=.fnő Y/:TC9<@fSI$:QR/bq7DfR/ֻn)Vqd"䳽˄GL;ϝRG顼n&%Sv eFv,L"t}I&N> D73]$e)( ;]XhL`kSzJlcC$<)깍h}dr,1ܝRM뭍eMa $?e3f8΍҈&P(x+JU5{I 3 M- ;7|#G9 !\œ&=xp2,L{-`?OW":4uܚEadv ~9q.VdV%UT@73$@W¯B!ݒaVLH:!opr;gAɀiήpfߙR E/IDO*Luf0}{7mfyDxT.g)w5RvHx#Z]&M$ gZUTt+lZqZ_;a&JaG,-JLJDFIcV|:I3nB&;N0Lna=Y_Gl,p5,,kc EKgd;2vt7selT9˸sX޲.6r<1!| L0lTMS1?Xsf cq )KSgBB&׭x. v c@^Yk΀v],E[ɾ QhYyXXC2)g/J@su1ScL, ?C[{V2i͛!סӠ&> 6lu>4Ƕʤ|=12鱧l{^:a/Y%~].26G: p^CZ V&Vedҟ?RrX7d#I]ՕuL1 ?_ /12IEh ̴b<ӯ^e _ϝ䰻^]vy> /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 873>> stream x1j08-K/)],) &gi+:U̲\"9H!@"9H!@"9H!@eY.Z[p_E{QHKV[/`j%ʒcP,SX4W{7urd5ɱPr:-ֆʇX$$zfZpClbw7z{[]qGlwlGlZiM,ߺ7x}w` L9=3zpWL9 j)ۓB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$e]k` B$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$/؋ endstream endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Annots [ 22 0 R ] /Contents 19 0 R >> endobj 19 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 2121 >> stream xX]s6}}hfߢ&Icw&!5IiUHQ{;Hȋ{='?\Ŵ1'Lg 5ũ#[,Zt]EBa^JւJP+DIk0#Y?pQ zn{ ]\-˶Ђa {ʾFൽ.V[<=cE7OߨF`PC]|ʺ5̷x2.v0ϗmvc&%~FQ0X@~Ō[|)O3g 5`aWjqKЛfŇ2a*d} }/H;kpTM-r#{/҄Q ]AUZ6Z5}?V0]/U;]v% sj^e%˖';5H#yˉעm1B,h[ɢ .>%YDC2ZFt r3}QEv8mvCҘAx[0 @q~G gq=6h}!E-05u}lHA%i(rU04Uʖ!H. Qq{,Kuze–f!If{Q 1v-uCWbQ~5`I9$ک5h*b댲ч>"!~aMQ ՂhbJ%~Wt1atfҐ-Ss Dv j;ׂ0}Rw ;`D!k!jWtBi$Q5Kbjd].:4ᴛ,56 ^*;/EK7 ɍ,ZFak5fD*Ფw=CkՊ>h:^r+M3?]b>ck_ pة +^߹tJY=y^0ȡmY[HCuaT$TnrSW--w2Z+Nׇ&Y2XXʮ'3 Kn+5zIUh[-\y= Įp rRu7r0/bfK %qJ\PQ#smӺ/AgVЛ>xʦcvw>L+5I( 7Z}t7V?l-w;}<@awp?@0iёdZ5(lmzG' giAWg$~ _jTj+/S}l;lkv8vus >ܵs>0O װ]NxCXwtTχ' Yx#}Ug -bאRP܊ޕsrʹ}bD]m@Pz#Md,}Lÿuk`> g8\ w֨itMN;|X=)l/lɽxnk^}Zk {"E,{igd׹􀘝N?Cqۥ"HәJVS9@8nނcb^*:緪p@\qcf윽"Z,8츪h1h2х]ۯcvXNqV)aνg6%z&sco!!vrk$ r_C,[l*$v($AD9Mc;;[~|Tz, >ܫh?+]8v ;%Af19  [z*vAw9\4YM8{]HVՄS>V 9 7d,:[uYu41\àE) XI$h|S4t&sua4W߯yqz%Qˆo` Szs,W<1cf8)H1(&3hFo.;J 1&Y0+SFOLX endstream endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 22 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /A 23 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 265.1120 668.4860 374.4920 680.6960 ] >> endobj 23 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://humanneedsindex.org/) >> endobj 24 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 550 /Height 140 /Filter /FlateDecode /DecodeParms << /Predictor 15 /Colors 1 /Columns 550 /BitsPerComponent 8>> /ColorSpace /DeviceGray /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5329>> stream xqDǯ뺒$ILfff&I335Lf2\3I2L&_3$3I$d+$\W=9y9lLss99P`0 `0 `0 `0 !U_:~u = F~sZŻدns⃪Qg¢G(F[-s͓^ DZ>d>3Dr#\OΉ, ZFwjux<;4Ƀxز#_v?nO<|{7c(b{Oū}w[N e~Hs䎷wwOn<1B.k+%U=eԘ -mCj)t:}c'ϓ*n"-ovkZ?R"V%wʶ7s]eX&eǕq` 1-2e JYHCFOUam 7:(Ԙt_@ހN t{B~ :V@}o#7!z^&zFL:ʤn X<- %"bNWqF c` M'4?cH-V`ǵAF>=#Ěm75dB I&7E5<>-͏їFǿl3M6x]Y&)2 FoΌ N.<t i4wL\^=_|Fo؏IȄ ik$ɄL?{?|tmCޮ=~T&iTevϷ'奔s?EꋄLPY͹箵?@L:Aˤ3y_:9AtA*0qVe- e6g)%a}.qKcI V/xʤzM|\ HSql0;*%+Mذ-闛obebu2iU&lLbtIcxb5^B#8 ޮaʻ _ w>j+L:$"&O;bZ K1 jmU玫ݢ=S/J<WO2'_yUPvp=`"aL5 Nl7"rlQT޼==-I[Se* F'(\`󴯉'{:נnVZ TG6*r$Tyx^LJū.C<3` %ANrxUo"˄ 0&$tO F&bIcW3GG͈ y!{m,LkCI d,(2"@ dR%F1thUL8Rݒ^+v9^?sʯYעDl~Qd" N2sc|ov}=F,3K#vxIvG^,[OM&wI[#,Jޙ\ض;L^fv[LbyYvM#/EI#/Zס$(ڼ ," &LK/IF i-Zx彰픢]MKeR n(PhV'LҸ\f$w/ e]"mɷWO߻˱ KerSPe (ӼGMȈ}X?ʍto7ZKl+81_Y&ǡd uʤ1Vw!sQ"/$zNkw(t)2BWQW"˄OXLp:e‡# וzn2F}qlc5ؾ:WH xLz LP:d# Q>(MRېd2Qt$o~R$YR5,-nޜLr_βehd" 2k1lvO X= eC p+[R=jU!֖}_DޟY2 (*wkZQ>Fl̲soR#^u3hhyTԲt.LtD8sk4z4Rbl@zp4hy0Tn\=.fnő Y/:TC9<@fSI$:QR/bq7DfR/ֻn)Vqd"䳽˄GL;ϝRG顼n&%Sv eFv,L"t}I&N> D73]$e)( ;]XhL`kSzJlcC$<)깍h}dr,1ܝRM뭍eMa $?e3f8΍҈&P(x+JU5{I 3 M- ;7|#G9 !\œ&=xp2,L{-`?OW":4uܚEadv ~9q.VdV%UT@73$@W¯B!ݒaVLH:!opr;gAɀiήpfߙR E/IDO*Luf0}{7mfyDxT.g)w5RvHx#Z]&M$ gZUTt+lZqZ_;a&JaG,-JLJDFIcV|:I3nB&;N0Lna=Y_Gl,p5,,kc EKgd;2vt7selT9˸sX޲.6r<1!| L0lTMS1?Xsf cq )KSgBB&׭x. v c@^Yk΀v],E[ɾ QhYyXXC2)g/J@su1ScL, ?C[{V2i͛!סӠ&> 6lu>4Ƕʤ|=12鱧l{^:a/Y%~].26G: p^CZ V&Vedҟ?RrX7d#I]ՕuL1 ?_ /12IEh ̴b<ӯ^e _ϝ䰻^]vy> /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 873>> stream x1j08-K/)],) &gi+:U̲\"9H!@"9H!@"9H!@eY.Z[p_E{QHKV[/`j%ʒcP,SX4W{7urd5ɱPr:-ֆʇX$$zfZpClbw7z{[]qGlwlGlZiM,ߺ7x}w` L9=3zpWL9 j)ۓB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$e]k` B$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$/؋ endstream endobj xref 0 26 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000450 00000 n 0000000487 00000 n 0000000636 00000 n 0000000739 00000 n 0000001091 00000 n 0000001198 00000 n 0000001306 00000 n 0000001416 00000 n 0000001529 00000 n 0000001558 00000 n 0000013132 00000 n 0000018707 00000 n 0000019838 00000 n 0000019897 00000 n 0000019956 00000 n 0000020080 00000 n 0000022275 00000 n 0000022332 00000 n 0000022389 00000 n 0000022517 00000 n 0000022597 00000 n 0000028172 00000 n trailer << /Size 26 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<9d707746ae289b986092859d361a3b87><9d707746ae289b986092859d361a3b87>] >> startxref 29303 %%EOF Rising prescription costs reflected in Human Needs Index | Caring Magazine

Rising prescription costs reflected in Human Needs Index

Listen to this article

While the need from 2016 stabilized overall, the increases associated with medical assistance in some areas could raise concerns.
For the second straight year, data from the Human Needs Index (HNI) revealed double-digit percentage increases in requests for payment for prescription medicine in 18 places. Headlined by Louisiana and Tennessee, which both recorded increases north of 300 percent from 2015, the data points up a growing issue.
Prescription drug costs for Americans under 65 years old are projected to rise 11.6 percent over the course of 2017—a slight uptick from the 11.3 percent price increase in 2016, according to consulting firm Segal Consulting. Older Americans meanwhile, face a projected 9.9 percent increase this year, from 10.9 percent in 2016. By comparison, wages are expected to rise just 2.5 percent this year. As the surge in drug prices continue to outpace both wages and the cost of living, many households are feeling the pinch.
“The 43 million Americans still living in poverty must make choices every day—often between basic necessities like medicine or food,” said Lt. Colonel Ron Busroe, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army. “We hope that the ground-level insights revealed in the most recent update of the HNI can assist policymakers and other social services providers to better care for the people who need our help the most.”
The HNI includes seven types of services representing basic human needs: meals provided, groceries, clothing, housing, furniture, help with energy bills, and medical assistance (prescription costs).
“When we look at the broad national picture, we see overall patterns of stability in the national Human Needs Index. National economic indicators, like the poverty rate, SNAP, and WIC, also showed stability from 2015–2016,” said Dr. Una Osili, Director of Research for the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “Nevertheless, pockets of persistent poverty remain throughout the country.
While the need from 2016 stabilized overall, the increases associated with medical assistance in some areas could raise concerns.
Among the states that posted double digit percentage increases were: Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, Hawaii, Maine, Florida, Mississippi, Maryland, Alaska, Missouri, New Hampshire, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, South Dakota, Oregon and Washington, D.C.
A poll from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that four out of five Americans say that drug prices are unreasonable. When compared to other countries, it’s hard to argue.
A 2016 study published in the Journal of American Medicine reported the per capita prescription drug spending in the U.S. exceeds that of all other countries. In 2013, per capita spending on prescription drugs was $858 compared with an average of $400 for 19 other industrialized nations.
In the U.S., prescription medications now comprise an estimated 17 percent of overall personal health care services.

You May Also Like