Health Affairs, 26, no. 5 (2007): 1333-1344 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.5.1333 © 2007 by Project HOPE	New Online   Pay Cuts For Medicare Docs   Access To Care Woes   Public Coverage More Efficient   Empowering Consumers

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Pharmacy Benefit Caps And The Chronically Ill

In this paper we examine medication use among retirees with employer-sponsored drug coverage both with and without annual benefit limits. We find that pharmacy benefit caps are associated with higher rates of medication discontinuation across the most common therapeutic classes and that only a minority of those who discontinue use reinitiate therapy once coverage resumes. Plan members who reach their cap are more likely than others to switch plans and increase their rate of generic use; however, in most cases, the shift is temporary. Given the similarities between these plans and Part D, we make some inferences about reforms for Medicare.

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				D. P. Goldman and G. F. Joyce Medicare Part D: A Successful Start With Room for Improvement JAMA, April 23, 2008; 299(16): 1954 - 1955. [Full Text] [PDF]