Economic grand rounds: did Medicare Part D improve access to medications?

Psychiatr Serv. 2010 Feb;61(2):118-20. doi: 10.1176/ps.2010.61.2.118.

Abstract

This study examined medication use among Medicare beneficiaries and dually eligible beneficiaries before and after the implementation of Medicare Part D on January 1, 2006. Nationally representative 2004-2006 data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were used. Two large classes of psychotropic medications (antidepressant and antipsychotic medications) and two large classes of nonpsychotropic medications (lipid-lowering and antihypertensive agents) were examined to determine whether changes in prescription patterns occurred as a result of the implementation of Part D. There was no strong evidence that Part D was associated with large changes in access to medications in the four classes of medications examined here.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antidepressive Agents / economics*
  • Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antihypertensive Agents / economics*
  • Antihypertensive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antipsychotic Agents / economics*
  • Antipsychotic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Drug Costs / statistics & numerical data*
  • Drug Utilization / trends
  • Health Expenditures / standards
  • Health Services Accessibility / economics*
  • Humans
  • Hypolipidemic Agents / economics*
  • Hypolipidemic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Medicare Part D / economics*
  • Practice Patterns, Physicians'
  • United States
  • Utilization Review / statistics & numerical data

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Antihypertensive Agents
  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Hypolipidemic Agents