TY - JOUR T1 - Take-up of Medicare Part D: results from the Health and Retirement Study. JF - J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci Y1 - 2010 A1 - Helen G Levy A1 - David R Weir KW - Aged KW - ethnicity KW - Humans KW - Longitudinal Studies KW - Medically Uninsured KW - Medicare Part D KW - Multivariate Analysis KW - Poverty KW - prescription drugs KW - Prescription Fees KW - United States AB -

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the impact of Medicare Part D on prescription drug coverage among elderly Medicare beneficiaries and to analyze the predictors of program enrollment ("take-up") among those with no prior drug coverage.

METHODS: Multivariate analyses of data from the 2002, 2004, and 2006 waves of the Health and Retirement Study.

RESULTS: Take-up of Part D among those without drug coverage in 2004 was high; about 50%-60% of this group had Part D coverage in 2006. Only 7% of senior citizens lacked drug coverage in 2006 compared with 24% in 2004. Demand for prescription drugs was the most important determinant of the decision to enroll in Part D among those with no prior coverage. Many of those who remained without coverage in 2006 reported that they do not use prescribed medicines, and the majority had relatively low out-of-pocket spending.

CONCLUSION: For the most part, Medicare beneficiaries seem to have been able to make economically rational decisions about Part D enrollment despite the complexity of the program.

PB - 65 VL - 65 IS - 4 N1 - Times Cited: 6 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20034992?dopt=Abstract U4 - medicare/older people/prescription drugs/Multivariate Analysis/Medicare Part D ER -