Year(s) Funded: 2013-2014
Topic(s): Medicare, Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs, Medicare Part D
Project Lead: Ira Moscovice
It is unclear how variation in the number and types of Part D plans in rural versus urban areas has affected prescription coverage. The purpose of this project is to assess whether the Medicare Part D prescription drug plans available in rural counties are sufficient to meet the needs of rural Medicare beneficiaries, and to identify what changes would help the Part D program better address the needs of rural beneficiaries. Descriptive and multivariate statistics will be used to analyze the plans available to Medicare beneficiaries by level of rurality; differences in enrollment rates by regions and levels of rurality; beneficiaries enrollment decisions; and differences in satisfaction with prescription drug plans and pharmacy access.