| 19189990 |
Schneeweiss S, Patrick AR, Pedan A, Varasteh L, Levin R, Liu N, Shrank WH: The effect of Medicare Part D coverage on drug use and cost sharing among seniors without prior drug benefits. Health Aff. 2009 Mar-Apr;28(2):w305-16. Epub 2009 Feb 3.
This study evaluates the effect of Medicare Part D among seniors who previously lacked drug coverage, using time-trend analyses of patient-level dispensing data from three pharmacy chains. Of 114,766 seniors without drug benefits, 55 percent initiated drug insurance under Part D. After the penalty-free Part D enrollment period, use of statins, clopidogrel, and proton pump inhibitors stabilized at levels ranging from 11 percent to 37 percent above the trend that would have been expected if Part D had not been implemented. Patients reaching the Part D coverage gap (12 percent) experienced a decrease in essential medication use ranging from 5.7 percentage points per month for warfarin to 6.3 percentage points for statins. |
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