How the Medicare Part D drug benefit changed the distribution of out-of-pocket pharmacy spending among older beneficiaries.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of the Medicare drug benefit (Part D) on the distribution of out-of-pocket pharmacy spending among older adults. METHODS: We used a pre-post-with-comparison-group design to compare four groups of beneficiaries continuously enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan between 2004 and 2007: three intervention groups with no or limited (quarterly caps of $150 or $350) prior coverage that obtained Part D benefits in 2006 and a comparison group with stable drug coverage from 2004 to 2007. RESULTS: The comparison group's out-of-pocket drug spending was stable throughout 2004-2007, whereas Part D reduced out-of-pocket spending 13.4% among those without prior cover..