Abstract
This study compared drug coverage and prescription drug use by race and Hispanic ethnicity for Medicare beneficiaries with three chronic conditions: diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease. We found that among beneficiaries without any drug coverage black persons and Hispanics used 10 to 40 percent fewer medications, on average, than white persons with the same illness, and spent up to 60 percent less in total drug costs. Having drug coverage somewhat lessened these differences although the effect was consistent with only M + C prescription benefits. Substantially lower medication use remained for dually eligible black beneficiaries and Hispanics with employer-sponsored drug benefits.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Aged
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Aged, 80 and over
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Black or African American / statistics & numerical data*
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Chronic Disease / drug therapy
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Chronic Disease / economics
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Diabetes Mellitus / drug therapy*
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Diabetes Mellitus / ethnology
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Drug Prescriptions / economics
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Female
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Health Care Surveys
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Health Services Accessibility / economics
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Heart Diseases / drug therapy*
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Heart Diseases / ethnology
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Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data*
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Humans
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Hypertension / drug therapy*
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Hypertension / ethnology
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Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / statistics & numerical data*
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Male
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Medicare / statistics & numerical data*
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Patient Acceptance of Health Care / ethnology*
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Regression Analysis
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Socioeconomic Factors
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United States
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White People / statistics & numerical data