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The Impact of Medicare Part D on Medication Treatment of Hypertension
Author(s) -
Zhang Yuting,
Donohue Julie M.,
Lave Judith R.,
Gellad Walid F.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
health services research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.706
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1475-6773
pISSN - 0017-9124
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2010.01183.x
Subject(s) - medicine , confidence interval , odds ratio , medicare part d , pharmacy , medicare advantage , angiotensin receptor blockers , antihypertensive drug , emergency medicine , angiotensin converting enzyme , prescription drug , family medicine , medical prescription , pharmacology , blood pressure , health care , economics , economic growth
Objective. To evaluate Medicare Part D's impact on use of antihypertensive medications among seniors with hypertension. Data Sources. Medicare‐Advantage plan pharmacy data from January 1, 2004 to December 12, 2007 from three groups who before enrolling in Part D had no or limited drug benefits, and a comparison group with stable employer‐based coverage. Study Design. Pre–post intervention with a comparison group design was used to study likelihood of use, daily counts, and substitutions between angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin‐II receptor blockers (ARBs). Principal Findings. Antihypertensive use increased most among those without prior drug coverage: likelihood of use increased (odds ratio=1.40, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] 1.25–1.56), and daily counts increased 0.29 (95 percent CI 0.24–0.33). Proportion using ARBs increased from 40 to 46 percent. Conclusions. Part D was associated with increased antihypertensive use and use of ARBs over less expensive alternatives.