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 Patient Experiences in Selecting a Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Cheryl D Stults ◽  
Alison Baskin ◽  
Ming Tai-Seale ◽  
M. Kate Bundorf
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Medicare Part D ◽  
Patient Experiences ◽  
Medicare Part ◽  
Part D ◽  
Drug Plan ◽  
Prescription Drug Plan

Impact of Medicare Part D on out-of-pocket pharmaceutical costs for patients with cancer.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6517-6517
Author(s):  
Sheetal Mehta Kircher ◽  
Michael Johansen ◽  
Caroline Richardson ◽  
Matthew M Davis
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Medicare Part D ◽  
Medicare Part ◽  
Prescription Drug Coverage ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Part D ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Pharmaceutical Costs

6517 Background: As federal policy, Medicare Part D was designed to reduce OOP costs for Medicare beneficiaries, but the extent to which this occurred for patients with cancer has not been measured. The aim of this study is to quantify the impact of Part D eligibility on out-of-pocket (OOP) cost for prescription drugs for cancer patients. Methods: Differences-in-differences analyses were used to estimate the effects of Medicare Part D eligibility on OOP pharmaceutical costs, by comparing 4-year periods before and after Part D implementation. Analyses were based on data from the publicly available Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative, all-payer sample of the United States non-institutionalized civilian population. Our analysis compared per-capita OOP burden between Medicare beneficiaries (age 65+) with cancer to near-elderly patients age 55-64 years old with cancer. Statistical weights provided with the dataset were used to generate nationally representative estimates. Results: Overall, 2,147 near-elderly individuals with cancer and 5,296 individuals with Medicare and cancer were included in the analysis (total n=7,443), representing over 88 million people with cancer in 8 years of study. As expected, prescription drug coverage more than doubled among individuals with Medicare from before Part D (34.4%) to after (77.8%); in contrast, prescription drug coverage among the near-elderly remained stable before vs. after Part D (72.0% vs. 71.1%). The mean per-capita OOP cost for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer before Part D was $935 (SE ±30) and decreased to $616 (±25) after implementation of Medicare Part D—a decline of 34%. Compared with changes in OOP pharmaceutical costs for non-elderly patients with cancer over the same period, implementation of Medicare Part D was associated with a further reduction of $159 (±73) per person with cancer. Conclusions: The implementation of Medicare D has significantly reduced OOP prescription drug costs for seniors with cancer, beyond trends observed for younger patients. Further analyses will examine OOP cost patterns for patients with cancer with specific sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Impact of Medicare Part D on out-of-pocket drug costs and utilization for patients with cancer.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 275-275
Author(s):  
Sheetal Mehta Kircher ◽  
Michael Johansen ◽  
Matthew M. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Medicare Part D ◽  
Drug Costs ◽  
Medicare Part ◽  
Prescription Drug Coverage ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Part D ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Per Capita

275 Background: Medicare Part D was designed to reduce out of pocket (OOP) costs for Medicare beneficiaries, but the extent to which this occurred for patients with cancer has not been measured. The aim of this study is to quantify the impact of Part D eligibility on OOP cost for prescription drugs and utilization for cancer patients. Methods: Differences-in-differences analyses were used to estimate the effects of Medicare Part D eligibility on OOP drug costs, by comparing 4 year periods before and after Part D implementation. Analyses were based on data from the publicly available Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative, all-payer sample of the United States non-institutionalized civilian population. Our analysis compared per-capita OOP burden between Medicare beneficiaries (age 65+) with cancer to near-elderly individuals age 55-64 years old with cancer. Results: 2,077 near-elderly individuals with cancer and 4,723 individuals with Medicare and cancer were included (total n=6,800), representing over 85 million people. Prescription drug coverage increased among individuals with Medicare from before Part D (39%) to after (65%); in contrast, prescription drug coverage among the near-elderly remained stable before vs. after Part D (82.4% vs. 81.4%). The mean per-capita OOP cost for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer before Part D was $1,111 (SE ±45) and decreased to $694 (±35) after implementation of Medicare Part D—a decline of 37%. Compared with changes in OOP drug costs for non-elderly patients with cancer over the same period, implementation of Medicare Part D was associated with a further reduction of $286 per person. OOP costs for cancer-associated drugs (i.e., antineoplastic, pain medications, anti-emetics) accounted for 6.5-11.1% of the total OOP cost with no significant trends between 2002-2010. Conclusions: The implementation of Medicare D has significantly reduced OOP prescription drug costs for seniors with cancer, beyond trends observed for younger patients. Considering prescription drugs for all medical conditions, cancer associated drugs compose a minority of the cost, highlighting that cancer patients have many comorbid conditions contributing to overall costs.

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