While 70 percent of adults ages 65 and older have high blood pressure, 50 percent of these individuals do not have their blood pressure under control. For the Vital Signs report, CDC researchers conducted an analysis on data from more than 18.5 million people enrolled in Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare with Medicare Part D.
Here are four things to know about high blood pressure medication misuse.
1. The five million Medicare Part D enrollees includes individuals who either skip doses or stop taking their medication altogether.
2. Lack of medication adherence is more prominent among Native Americans, African Americans and Hispanic populations, which contributes to these groups’ high risk for adverse health events linked to high blood pressure like heart attack and stroke.
3. Geographic disparities also exist: Southern U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have the highest rates of blood pressure medication misuse, while North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota have the highest rates of medication adherence.
4. CMS is providing resources to all 50 states and Washington D.C. to promote accurate tracking of medication adherence through its Medicare Star Ratings program.
“While the Medicare prescription drug program has increased the affordability and accessibility of prescription drugs, more can be done to encourage Medicare beneficiaries to take their medications as directed,” said Sean Cavanaugh, CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare. “Medicare will continue to work with prescription drug plans to educate enrollees about the importance of taking their blood pressure medications as prescribed so that they can lower their risk for heart disease and stroke.”
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