Seniors caught in Medicare part D’s “doughnut hole”—a gap in coverage of prescription medications from when a person reaches an annual spending level of $2,250 until spending on meds hits $5,100—cut their use of prescription drugs by 14 percent. Researchers who studied data for more than 14,400 Pennsylvanians age 65 and over found that while 25 percent of those enrolled in Medicare part D reached the doughnut hole, only 5 percent got to the next phase of coverage. What’s more, people with diabetes were more likely to reach the void in coverage—and faster—than the average beneficiary. The researchers say the study underscores the need for a policy change that would cover medications for seniors in the doughnut hole.
Source: Health Affairs, Feb. 3, 2009

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