The effect of Medicare Part D on drug and medical spending

Abstract

BACKGROUND: It is not known what effect the increased use of prescription drugs by enrollees in Medicare Part D has had on spending for other medical care. METHODS: We compared spending for prescription drugs and other medical care 2 years before the implementation of Part D in January 2006 with such expenditures 2 years after the program's implementation in four groups of elderly beneficiaries: Medicare Advantage enrollees with stable, uncapped, employer-based drug coverage throughout the study period (no-cap group), those who had no previous drug coverage, and those who had previous limited benefits (with either a $150 or a $350 quarterly cap) before they were covered by Part D in ..