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The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released a study this week finding that Americans paid $127 billion in 2005 for prescription drugs. As our dependence on these medications grows stronger, how will it impact health insurance costs for consumers?

According to MSN Health, "in 2005, U.S. adults spent nearly $36 billion on prescription drugs to lower blood sugar, reduce cholesterol, or treat other metabolic problems." The other four classes of prescription drugs that Americans relied upon included cardiovascular drugs, for reducing high blood pressure and treating heart conditions ($33 billion), central nervous system drugs, including pain killers, sleep aid medications, and attention deficit disorder medications ($26 billion), antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs ($17 billion), and gastrointestinal drugs, including antacids and laxatives ($15 billion).

And the use of these prescription drugs has definitely affected the cost of health insurance premiums. In fact, most people find that even with high premiums, out-of-pocket expenses and high deductibles for medications make their health insurance costs too high to pay.

Is there a solution? In part, yes. While brand name medications will continue to be expensive, consumers should search for a health insurance plan that offers generic drugs. Generic drugs are just as effective as brand-name drugs, and can cost a lot less, in some cases hundreds of dollars less.

It's also wise to ask your doctor to prescribe a generic drug instead of expensive prescription drugs. Doctors aren't always aware of how much patients are paying for their medications, but they do understand that with health insurance costs on the rise, cheaper bills can make the difference between the patient they see every year, and the one who can't afford to go to the doctor at all.