The doctor switched to a lower quality drug to save money. Cost-sharing insurance plans were supposed to reduce overall expenses. Instead, patients bear the burden of their health care costs, not payers. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 79 percent of doctors think it's important to inform patients about drug costs. Only 35 percent of doctors actually do this. The reason is time pressure and ignorance of patient expenses, according to study author G. Caleb Alexander. Doctors can help save money by prescribing generics instead of brand-name drugs. Generics have the same effectiveness and composition as the originals.