For the study, researchers from Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and CVS Caremark examined prescription drug usage for cardiovascular conditions among more than 122,000 Medicare beneficiaries who reached the Medicare Part D donut hole in 2006 or 2007. The donut hole is known as the coverage gap under Medicare Part D in which Medicare beneficiaries are 100-percent responsible for medication costs until they have spent more than $4,550.
The researchers concluded that cost-sharing mechanisms like the coverage gap prompted beneficiaries to discontinue their medications more frequently than beneficiaries who had stable drug coverage. In addition, the results showed that beneficiaries were no more likely to switch to generic medications during the donut hole.
While the study found no increase in short-term negative health issues during the coverage gap, the long-term health impact of non-adherence to cardiovascular drugs during the coverage gap is unclear.
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