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Prescription Drug Benefits

Journal Article

Identifying Widely Covered Drugs and Drug Coverage Variation Among Medicare Part D Formularies

Clinicians find it difficult to know which drugs are covered for their Medicare patients because formularies vary widely among Medicare Part D plans

Jan 1, 2007
Commentary

A Simple Rx for Part D

The federal government's new Medicare prescription-drug benefit program for the elderly and disabled, which went into effect Jan. 1, has gotten off to a slow start, writes Geoffrey Joyce.

Jan 13, 2006
Research Brief

Cutting Drug Co-Payments for Sicker Patients on Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Could Save a Billion Dollars Every Year

This Research Brief summarizes the relationship between (1) co-payments and compliance for patients whose doctors prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, and (2) compliance and subsequent use of expensive health care services.

Jan 12, 2006
Journal Article

Cutting Drug Copayments Can Reduce Hospitalizations and Save Money

Cutting drug copayments on cholesterol-lowering medication for the sickest patients would avert nearly 80,000 hospitalizations and more than 31,000 emergency room visits each year — accounting for the more than $1 billion in savings.

Jan 1, 2006
Research Brief

Reviewing Military Retirees' Pharmacy Benefits Could Lower Costs

The U.S. military health care system has experienced rapid growth in expenditures over the past decade. To lower costs, it should discourage retirees' use of retail pharmacies and carefully implement a three-tier drug benefit.

Nov 25, 2005
Dissertation

The Cost and Health Effects of Prescription Drug Coverage and Utilization in the Medicare Population

Examines the effects of Medigap prescription drug benefits on elderly prescription drug spending and Medicare spending in order to estimate the potential offset savings that the Medicare prescription drug program may generate.

Nov 18, 2005
Journal Article

Pharmacy Benefits and the Use of Drugs by the Chronically Ill

Many health plans have instituted more cost sharing to discourage use of more expensive pharmaceuticals and to reduce drug spending.

Jan 1, 2004
Journal Article

Impact of an Annual Dollar Limit or Cap on Prescription Drug Benefits for Medicare Patients

At lower caps, a substantial proportion of Medicare patients exceeded their annual drug benefit.

Jan 1, 2003
Journal Article

American Attitudes Toward and Willingness to Use Psychiatric Medications

Despite recent advances in treatment, many Americans decline to take prescribed psychiatric medication.

Jan 1, 2003
Commentary

Take Two Aspirin and Call Congress

Adding a flexible drug benefit to Medicare would bring costs down, say Dana Goldman and Geoffrey Joyce in an LA Times commentary.

Dec 11, 2002
Journal Article

Employer Drug Benefit Plans and Spending on Prescription Drugs

Many employers and health insurance providers have changed benefits packages to encourage use of fewer or less expensive drugs.

Jan 1, 2002
Research Brief

Costs of a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: A Comparison of Alternatives

A RAND Health team constructed a microsimulation model to predict drug expenditures in 2001 for a representative cohort of Medicare beneficiaries under the status quo and three different plans.

Jan 1, 2002
Report

The Costs of a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: A Comparison of Alternatives

This study reports the results of a model predicting drug expenses for Medicare beneficiaries.

Jan 1, 2002
Commentary

A Third-and Better-Way for Prescription-Drug Coverage

Implementing a modest catastrophic benefit with low-income subsidies would provide valuable insurance to the Medicare population. It also would provide a fiscally prudent alternative, allowing policymakers to better gauge future program costs and beneficiary behavior.

Nov 5, 2000
Journal Article

A Third — and Better — Way for Prescription-Drug Coverage

The author discusses solutions for prescription drug coverage issues.

Jan 1, 2000
People

Christine Buttorff

Policy Researcher
Education Ph.D. in health economics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; B.S. in political science, Santa Clara University; B.A. in Italian studies, Santa Clara University
People

Preethi Rao

Policy Researcher
Education Ph.D. in health economics, University of Pennsylvania
People

Erin Audrey Taylor

Senior Policy Researcher
Education Ph.D. in health economics, University of Pennsylvania; M.S.P.H., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; B.A. in economics, St. Mary's College of Maryland

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Research conducted by

RAND Health Care