scholarly journals Do Medicare Beneficiaries Living With HIV/AIDS Choose Prescription Drug Plans That Minimize Their Total Spending?

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 004695801773403
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Desmond ◽  
Thomas H. Rice ◽  
Arleen A. Leibowitz
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Drug Regimen ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Part D ◽  
Total Spending ◽  
Prescription Drug Plans ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Aids

This article examines whether California Medicare beneficiaries with HIV/AIDS choose Part D prescription drug plans that minimize their expenses. Among beneficiaries without low-income supplementation, we estimate the excess cost, and the insurance policy and beneficiary characteristics responsible, when the lowest cost plan is not chosen. We use a cost calculator developed for this study, and 2010 drug use data on 1453 California Medicare beneficiaries with HIV who were taking antiretroviral medications. Excess spending is defined as the difference between projected total spending (premium and cost sharing) for the beneficiary’s current drug regimen in own plan vs spending for the lowest cost alternative plan. Regression analyses related this excess spending to individual and plan characteristics. We find that beneficiaries pay more for Medicare Part D plans with gap coverage and no deductible. Higher premiums for more extensive coverage exceeded savings in deductible and copayment/coinsurance costs. We conclude that many beneficiaries pay for plan features whose costs exceed their benefits.

scholarly journals Patient Experiences in Selecting a Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl D Stults ◽  
Alison S Baskin ◽  
M Kate Bundorf ◽  
Ming Tai-Seale
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Medicare Part D ◽  
Medicare Part ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Part D ◽  
Drug Plan ◽  
Prescription Drug Plans ◽  
Prescription Drug Plan

Introduction: Medicare beneficiaries often report that the process of choosing a prescription drug plan is frustrating and confusing and many do not enroll in the plan that covers their drugs at the lowest cost. Methods: We conducted 4 focus groups to understand beneficiaries’ experiences in selecting a drug plan to identify what resources and factors were most important to them. Participants were patients served by a multispecialty delivery system and were primarily affluent and Caucasian. Results: While low cost was essential to many, other characteristics like having the same plan as a partner, company reputation, convenience, and anticipation of possible future health problems were sometimes more important. Although some used resources including insurance brokers, counselors, and websites beyond Medicare.gov , many expressed a desire for greater assistance with and greater simplicity in the choice process. Conclusion: Although older adults would likely benefit from greater assistance in choosing Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, more research is necessary to understand how to help with decision-making in this context.

scholarly journals PNS105 ASSOCIATION OF LOW-INCOME SUBSIDY/DUAL ELIGIBILITY AND DISABILITY WITH HIGH-RISK MEDICATION USE AMONG PART D MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. S303
Author(s):  
C. Chinthammit ◽  
S. Bhattacharjee ◽  
M. Slack ◽  
W. Lo-Ciganic ◽  
J.P. Bentley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Medication Use ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Part D ◽  
Dual Eligibility

The association between HIV/AIDS and food insecurity at the US–Mexico border: Experiences of low-income patients in the Rio Grande Valley

2020 ◽  
pp. 095646242093060
Author(s):  
Jennifer Tabler ◽  
Laryssa Mykyta ◽  
Jason M Nagata
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rio Grande Valley ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Aids Diagnosis ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Us Mexico Border ◽  
Hiv Aids

US–Mexico border communities are uniquely vulnerable to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission given the economic and social challenges these communities face. We surveyed low-income, predominantly Latinx residents receiving sexually transmitted infection testing and/or HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) care in the lower Rio Grande Valley of southernmost Texas about their experiences of food insecurity. Participants aged 18 years and over took a self-administered survey available in English or Spanish in a clinic waiting room ( N = 251). Ordinary least squares regression results suggested that those with a prior HIV/AIDS diagnosis reported a response for food insecurity that was approximately 0.67 points higher than peers without a prior HIV/AIDS diagnosis (coefficient = 0.67; p < 0.05), even when adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, social support, perceived discrimination, and neighborhood environment. Interaction results between age and HIV status indicated that younger individuals living with HIV/AIDS experienced uniquely higher food insecurity; those who reported a prior HIV/AIDS diagnosis experienced an additional reduction in food insecurity by approximately 0.06 points for each additional year of age (age × HIV/AIDS interaction coefficient = −0.06; p < 0.05). Community programs serving low-income populations should consider screening for and intervening on food insecurity, especially among young adults living with HIV/AIDS.

scholarly journals Prevalence and socioeconomic factors associated with smoking in people living with HIV by sex, in Recife, Brazil

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 432-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna d’Arc Lyra Batista ◽  
Maria de Fátima Pessoa Militão de Albuquerque ◽  
Ricardo Arraes de Alencar Ximenes ◽  
Demócrito de Barros Miranda-Filho ◽  
Heloisa Ramos Lacerda de Melo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Low Income ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Heavy Alcohol ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Aids

Introduction: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the world. The prevalence of smoking is higher in people infected with HIV than in the general population. Although it is biologically plausible that smoking increases the morbidity and mortality of people living with HIV/AIDS, few studies in developing countries have analyzed the determinants and consequences of smoking in HIV infected people. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of smoking and identify the socioeconomic factors associated with smoking and smoking cessation in patients with HIV by sex. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with baseline data, obtained from an ongoing prospective cohort study of patients with HIV attending two referral centers in Recife, Northeast Region of Brazil, between July 2007 and October 2009. Results: The prevalence of current smoking was 28.9%. For both sexes, smoking was independently associated with heavy alcohol drinking and marijuana use. Among women, smoking was associated with living alone, not being married and illiteracy; and among men, being 40 years or older, low income and using crack. Compared with ex-smokers, current smokers were younger and more likely to be unmarried, heavy drinkers and marijuana users. Conclusions: It is important to incorporate smoking cessation interventions for the treatment of heavy alcohol drinkers and marijuana users with HIV/AIDS, which may increase life expectancy and quality of life, as smoking is related to risk of death, relapse of tuberculosis, and non communicable diseases.

scholarly journals Mind the Gap: Why Closing the Doughnut Hole Is Insufficient for Increasing Medicare Beneficiary Access to Oral Chemotherapy

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacie B. Dusetzina ◽  
Nancy L. Keating
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Cost Sharing ◽  
Medicare Beneficiary ◽  
Interquartile Range ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Prescription Drug Plan ◽  
Typical Treatment ◽  
Out Of Pocket Costs

Purpose Orally administered anticancer medications are among the fastest growing components of cancer care. These medications are expensive, and cost-sharing requirements for patients can be a barrier to their use. For Medicare beneficiaries, the Affordable Care Act will close the Part D coverage gap (doughnut hole), which will reduce cost sharing from 100% in 2010 to 25% in 2020 for drug spending above $2,960 until the beneficiary reaches $4,700 in out-of-pocket spending. How much these changes will reduce out-of-pocket costs is unclear. Methods We used the Medicare July 2014 Prescription Drug Plan Formulary, Pharmacy Network, and Pricing Information Files from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 1,114 stand-alone and 2,230 Medicare Advantage prescription drug formularies, which represent all formularies in 2014. We identified orally administered anticancer medications and summarized drug costs, cost-sharing designs used by available plans, and the estimated out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries without low-income subsidies who take a single drug before and after the doughnut hole closes. Results Little variation existed in formulary design across plans and products. The average price per month for included products was $10,060 (range, $5,123 to $16,093). In 2010, median beneficiary annual out-of-pocket costs for a typical treatment duration ranged from $6,456 (interquartile range, $6,433 to $6,482) for dabrafenib to $12,160 (interquartile range, $12,102 to $12,262) for sunitinib. With the assumption that prices remain stable, after the doughnut hole closes, beneficiaries will spend approximately $2,550 less. Conclusion Out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries taking orally administered anticancer medications are high and will remain so after the doughnut hole closes. Efforts are needed to improve affordability of high-cost cancer drugs for beneficiaries who need them.

scholarly journals Financing Oral Health Care for Low-Income Adults Living with HIV/AIDS

2012 ◽  
Vol 127 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 82-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Bednarsh ◽  
David A. Reznik ◽  
Carol R. Tobias
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Oral Health Care ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Aids
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