SPECIAL SECTION: Medicare D and Other Drug Coverage Updates

DRUG CAPS MAY REDUCE ADHERENCE

According to a recent study released by the RAND Corporation, older Americans who reach their coverage limits in their prescription drug plans may discontinue their drug regimens. Drug termination rates ranged from 15 percent for anti-cholesterol medication to 28 percent for cardiac drugs. A significant number of seniors do not resume their prescription medications even when drug benefits resume at the start of a new health plan year (“Prescription Spending Caps Cause Some Seniors to Quit Taking Medicines for Chronic Illnesses,” RAND Corporation, September 11, 2007).

-Adapted from: Medicare Watch, a biweekly electronic newsletter of the Medicare Rights Center, Vol. 10, No. 19: September 18, 2007

09/07