Prescription Drug Benefits and Use of Guideline Recommended Medications by Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes Mellitus

Many U.S. employers have recently adopted less generous prescription drug benefits. In addition, in 2006 the U.S. began to offer prescription drug insurance to approximately 42 million Medicare beneficiaries. We used data on individual health insurance claims and benefit data from 1997 to 2003 to study how changes in consumers co-payments for prescription drugs affect use of and expenditure on prescription drugs, inpatient care, and outpatient care. We analyzed the effects both in the year of the co-payment change and in the year following the change. Our results show that increases in prescription drug prices reduce both use of and spending on prescription drugs. They also show that consumers substitute the use of outpatient care for prescription drug use and that about 35% of the expenditure reductions on prescription drugs are offset by increases in other spending.

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The Value of Experience: Differences in Knowledge among Medicare Beneficiaries

INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing ◽

10.5034/inquiryjrnl_42.3.266 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 266-280

Author(s):

Merrile Sing ◽

Beth Stevens

Keyword(s):

Managed Care ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Formal Education ◽

Life Experience ◽

Care Plan ◽

Medicare Advantage ◽

Medicare Beneficiaries ◽

Drug Benefits ◽

Prescription Drug Plan ◽

Prescription Drug Benefits

The Medicare Advantage program gives Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to choose from an array of insurance options instead of receiving prescribed benefits. In 2006, beneficiaries who want prescription drug benefits will need to enroll in a Medicare managed care plan or a private prescription drug plan. To examine awareness and use of Medicare information programs, and the extent to which these programs are associated with beneficiary knowledge about Medicare and managed care, we conducted a national survey of Medicare beneficiaries six to 12 months after the nationwide mailing of the Medicare & You 2000 handbook. Beneficiary information-gathering behavior and experience with Medicare managed care were more highly associated with knowledge about Medicare managed care than formal education, age, income, or membership in a managed care plan before enrolling in Medicare. Practical life experience appears to outweigh traditional factors in beneficiary knowledge of Medicare and managed care.

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Cost-related Medication Nonadherence among Medicare Beneficiaries with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: The Role of Comprehension of the Medicare Program and its Prescription Drug Benefits

10.22541/au.163775918.85480364/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chanhyun Park ◽

Angela Chang ◽

Boon Ng ◽

Gary Young

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Medicare Beneficiaries ◽

Cvd Risk Factors ◽

Cvd Risk ◽

Drug Benefits ◽

Medicare Program ◽

Obesity Hypertension ◽

Prescription Drug Benefits

RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate how reported comprehension of the Medicare program and its prescription drug benefits affects cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) among Medicare beneficiaries with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used the 2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Public Use File data and included Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥ 65 years who reported having at least one CVD risk factor (i.e., hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, and obesity) (n=2,821). A survey-weighted logistic model was used to examine associations between lack of difficulty understanding the Medicare program and its prescription drug benefits and CRN, controlling for beneficiaries’ demographic (e.g., age) and clinical characteristics (e.g, comorbidities). This study further analyzed five subgroups based on the type of CVD risk factors involved. RESULTS: Among Medicare beneficiaries with CVD risk factors, 14.4% reported CRN. Medicare beneficiaries with CVD risk factors who reported difficulty understanding the overall Medicare program and its prescription drug benefits were more likely to report CRN, compared to those who reported easy understanding of the overall Medicare program (OR=1.49; 95% CI=1.09, 2.04; p<0.001) and its prescription drug benefits (OR=2.01; 95% CI=1.51, 2.67; p<0.001). Similar results were obtained for the subgroups with obesity, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived lack of difficulty understanding the Medicare Program and its prescription drug benefits has a positive impact on CRN reduction among Medicare beneficiaries with CVD risk factors, especially those with obesity, hypertension or hyperlipidemia. Monitoring and enhancing Medicare beneficiaries’ overall understanding of the Medicare program may reduce CRN.

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