Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Progress Report: Findings From A 2006 National Survey Of Seniors

Neuman, Patricia; Strollo, Michelle Kitchman; Guterman, Stuart; Rogers, William H.; Li, Angela; Rodday, Angie Mae; Safran, Dana Gelb

doi:10.1377/hlthaff.26.5.w630

Cited by 132 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

107

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our findings, coupled with those of others (Campbell and Morgan 2007;Neuman et al 2007;Domino et al 2008), raise concerns about beneficiaries' ability to use available information to make the best choice of a Medicare prescription drug plan. Given the importance of drug coverage and the potential saving involved, policy makers should be attuned to these issues and consider ways to make the decision making process easier and more effective.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

“…The primary objective evidence so far concerns stickiness--that is, unwillingness to change plans from year to year, even when it is economically wise to do so. Two national surveys found that fewer than one tenth of enrollees switched drug plans during the open enrollment period between the first and second years of the Medicare drug program, and nearly half of those were lowincome beneficiaries who were required to switch because their plan no longer covered them (Campbell and Morgan 2007;Neuman et al 2007). This is of potential concern because plans that may have low costs 1 year often raise their premiums or change their formulary, leading to dramatic increases in premiums the following year (Kritz 2007).…”

Section: Background: Choosing a Medicare Prescription Drug Planmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

How Much Choice Is Too Much? The Case of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

Hanoch

Rice²,

Cummings³

et al. 2009

Health Services Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective. To study the impact of the number of choices and age on measures of performance in choosing a Medicare prescription drug plan. Data Source/Study Setting. One hundred ninty-two healthy individuals age 18 and older, half age 65 or older, in Claremont, California. Study Design. Participants were randomly assigned to 3, 10, or 20 hypothetical drug plans and asked four factual questions. Statistical models controlled for experimental group, age, gender, race, education, income, marital status, and health status. Primary Findings. Older age and greater number of plans were significantly associated with fewer correct answers. Although older adults were less likely to identify the plan that minimized total annual cost, they were more likely to state that they were ''very confident'' they chose the correct plan. Conclusions. The results raise concerns about the difficulties that older adults may have in navigating the wide range of drug plan choices available.Key Words. Choice, prescription drugs, Medicare, elderly A hallmark of personal freedom is choice: having alternatives available, and being given the autonomy to choose among them. Is it possible, then, to have too much choice? This would appear to be heretical, at least in economics, as consumers can always ignore the poorer alternatives. Some researchers, however, are starting to question the merits of consumers having a large array of choices. Large choice sets coupled with the desire to maximize (that is, choose the very best) have been found to be significantly related to greater sense of regret, reduced happiness, and even less satisfaction with the choices made (Schwartz et al. 2002).Given this, it is noteworthy that the Medicare prescription drug benefit has so many plan choices. In 2008, nearly all states had more than 50 standalone drug plans from which to choose. When the stand-alone plans are combined with Medicare managed care plans, older adults often faced over While a number of studies have examined the relationship between choice size and consumers' decision quality and satisfaction, little research has been devoted to examining the effects of age on decision making. This is surprising as older adults are frequently asked to make many complex financial and medical decisions (Hanoch, Wood, and Rice 2007) even though cognitive ability tends to decline with age.This Research Brief reports on an experiment in which older and younger adults were randomly assigned to a different number of hypothetical prescription drug plans that resemble those in the marketplace. Subjects, half of whom were age 65 or older, were assigned to a choice set of 3, 10, or 20 plans. We report on how age and number of plans affect objective measures of performance as well as subjective assessments of the experience, and we draw conclusions about problems associated with the design of the Medicare drug benefit.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Section: Background: Choosing a Medicare Prescription Drug Planmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Much Choice Is Too Much? The Case of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

Hanoch

Rice²,

Cummings³

et al. 2009

Health Services Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…15,16 In 2008, an estimated 4.6 million (10%) Medicare beneficiaries had no prescription drug coverage, with nearly 3.3 million of those representing the most vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries who may qualify for the low-income subsidy. 17,18 Additionally, even for the 25 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Part D plan, the benefit is confusing and complex, and patients' cost-sharing is increasing annually, leading to changes in medicationtaking behaviors. 18,19 The challenges facing those enrolled in Part D, particularly vulnerable patients, require an interprofessional solution.…”

Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…17,18 Additionally, even for the 25 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Part D plan, the benefit is confusing and complex, and patients' cost-sharing is increasing annually, leading to changes in medicationtaking behaviors. 18,19 The challenges facing those enrolled in Part D, particularly vulnerable patients, require an interprofessional solution.…”

Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer-to-Peer Interprofessional Health Policy Education for Medicare Part D

Lipton

Lai

Cutler

et al. 2010

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives. To determine whether a peer-to-peer education program was an expedient and effective approach to improve knowledge and promote interprofessional communication and collaboration. Design. Trained pharmacy students taught nursing students, medical students, and medical residents about the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit (Part D), in 1-to 2-hour lectures. Assessment. Learners completed a survey instrument to assess the effectiveness of the presentation and their attitudes toward the peer-to-peer instructional format. Learners strongly or somewhat agreed that the peer-to-peer format was effective in providing Part D education (99%) and promoted interprofessional collaboration (100%). Qualitative data highlighted the program's clinical relevance, value in promoting interprofessional collaboration, and influence on changing views about the roles and contributions of pharmacists. Conclusion. The Part D peer educator program is an innovative way to disseminate contemporary health policy information rapidly, while fostering interprofessional collaboration.

show abstract

“…Most MA-PD plan enrollees were enrolled in an MA plan prior to 2006; 103 these beneficiaries generally experienced a smoother transition to drug coverage with the advent of Part D thanks to the subtle integration of the new benefit into the already existing managed care structure. 59 Further, these plans have been offering more generous drug coverage than Part D stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDP), 103 and their design is associated with much less disparities in access to drugs and benefit information, 59 as well as better coordination of care. 104 Hispanic seniors were more likely to be automatically eligible for the low-income subsidy than blacks and whites (46%, vs. 30 and 8% among blacks and whites, respectively, in our sample).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Racial Disparities in Adherence to Cardiovascular Medications among the Elderly in Medicare: Three Empirical Essays

Hussein¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Progress Report: Findings From A 2006 National Survey Of Seniors

Cited by 132 publications

References 7 publications

How Much Choice Is Too Much? The Case of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

How Much Choice Is Too Much? The Case of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

Peer-to-Peer Interprofessional Health Policy Education for Medicare Part D

Racial Disparities in Adherence to Cardiovascular Medications among the Elderly in Medicare: Three Empirical Essays

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About