Prescription drug use and expenditures among dually eligible beneficiaries

Using Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) claims files for 1999 and 2001, the authors describe patterns of prescription drug use and expenditures among dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries for all Medicaid full dually eligible beneficiaries and three important subgroups: (1) aged, (2) disabled, and (3) full-year nursing home residents. The analyses indicate great variation in use and expenditures across States that cannot be explained through differences in use of cost containment strategies. Further, the findings suggest that Medicare Part D plans may achieve significant savings by providing incentives for greater use of generic drugs.