The Medicare drug benefit (Part D) and treatment of heart failure in older adults

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Adherence to pharmacotherapy for heart failure is poor among older adults in part because of high prescription drug costs. We examined the impact of improvements in drug coverage under Medicare Part D on utilization of, and adherence to, medications for heart failure in older adults. METHODS: We used a quasi-experimental approach to analyze pharmacy claims for 6,950 individuals aged >or=65 years with heart failure enrolled in a Medicare managed care organization 2 years before and after Part D's implementation. We compared prescription fill patterns among individuals who moved from limited (quarterly benefits caps of USD 150 or USD 350) or no drug coverage to Part D in 2006 with ..