Dataset Information

How much choice is too much? The case of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To study the impact of the number of choices and age on measures of performance in choosing a Medicare prescription drug plan.

Data source/study setting

One hundred ninty-two healthy individuals age 18 and older, half age 65 or older, in Claremont, California.

Study design

Participants were randomly assigned to 3, 10, or 20 hypothetical drug plans and asked four factual questions. Statistical models controlled for experimental group, age, gender, race, education, income, marital status, and health status.

Primary findings

Older age and greater number of plans were significantly associated with fewer correct answers. Although older adults were less likely to identify the plan that minimized total annual cost, they were more likely to state that they were "very confident" they chose the correct plan.

Conclusions

The results raise concerns about the difficulties that older adults may have in navigating the wide range of drug plan choices available.

SUBMITTER: Hanoch Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2739022 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

How much choice is too much? The case of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Hanoch Yaniv Y Rice Thomas T Cummings Janet J Wood Stacey S

Health services research 20090526 4

<h4>Objective</h4>To study the impact of the number of choices and age on measures of performance in choosing a Medicare prescription drug plan.<h4>Data source/study setting</h4>One hundred ninty-two healthy individuals age 18 and older, half age 65 or older, in Claremont, California.<h4>Study design</h4>Participants were randomly assigned to 3, 10, or 20 hypothetical drug plans and asked four factual questions. Statistical models controlled for experimental group, age, gender, race, education, ...[more]

PMID: 19486180

Similar Datasets

Project description:ImportancePrescription drug spending is a topic of increased interest to the public and policymakers. However, prior assessments have been limited by focusing on retail spending (Part D-covered drugs), omitting clinician-administered (Part B-covered) drug spending, or focusing on all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries, regardless of their enrollment into prescription drug coverage.ObjectiveTo estimate the proportion of health care spending contributed by prescription drugs and to assess spending for retail and clinician-administered prescriptions.Design, setting, and participantsDescriptive, serial, cross-sectional analysis of a 20% random sample of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in the United States from 2008 to 2019 who were continuously enrolled in Parts A (hospital), B (medical), and D (prescription drug) benefits, and not in Medicare Advantage.ExposureCalendar year.Main outcomes and measuresNet spending on retail (Part D-covered) and clinician-administered (Part B-covered) prescription drugs; prescription drug spending (spending on Part B-covered and Part D-covered drugs) as a percentage of total per-capita health care spending. Measures were adjusted for inflation and for postsale rebates (for Part D-covered drugs).ResultsThere were 3 201 284 beneficiaries enrolled in Parts A, B, and D in 2008 and 4 502 718 in 2019. In 2019, beneficiaries had a mean (SD) age of 71.7 (12.0) years, documented sex was female for 57.7%, and 69.5% had no low-income subsidies. Total per-capita spending was $16 345 in 2008 and $20 117 in 2019. Comparing 2008 with 2019, per-capita Part A spending was $7106 (95% CI, $7084-$7128) vs $7120 (95% CI, $7098-$7141), Part B drug spending was $720 (95% CI, $713-$728) vs $1641 (95% CI, $1629-$1653), Part B nondrug spending was $5113 (95% CI, $5105-$5122) vs $6702 (95% CI, $6692-$6712), and Part D net spending was $3122 (95% CI, $3117-$3127) vs $3477 (95% CI, $3466-$3489). The proportion of total annual spending attributed to prescription drugs increased from 24.0% in 2008 to 27.2% in 2019, net of estimated rebates and discounts.Conclusions and relevanceIn 2019, spending on prescription drugs represented approximately 27% of total spending among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part D, even after accounting for postsale rebates.

Dataset Information

How much choice is too much? The case of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Objective

Data source/study setting

Study design

Primary findings

Conclusions

Publications

How much choice is too much? The case of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Similar Datasets

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