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Medicare beneficiaries and drug coverage
1Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), Office of Strategic Planning, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Health Affairs (Project Hope)
|March 16, 2000
Summary
Medicare beneficiaries without prescription drug coverage use fewer medications and spend more out-of-pocket. This highlights disparities in access and cost for seniors lacking drug insurance benefits.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Public Health Policy
- Gerontology
Background:
- Congressional debate surrounds adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare.
- Understanding the impact of drug coverage on beneficiary behavior is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine changes in prescription drug insurance coverage from 1995 to 1996.
- To compare drug use and spending between Medicare beneficiaries with and without drug coverage.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 1996 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS).
- Analyzed prescription utilization and expenditure patterns.
- Compared outcomes for insured versus uninsured beneficiaries.
Main Results:
- Beneficiaries without drug insurance used fewer prescriptions.
- Individuals without coverage faced higher out-of-pocket drug expenses.
- Total drug expenditures were lower for those without insurance, indicating reduced access or use.
Conclusions:
- Lack of prescription drug coverage is associated with lower medication use among Medicare beneficiaries.
- Beneficiaries without drug insurance experience greater financial burden for prescriptions.
- Findings inform policy decisions regarding Medicare prescription drug benefits.