The Gerontologist
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sambamoorthi, U.
Right arrow Articles by Crystal, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sambamoorthi, U.
Right arrow Articles by Crystal, S.
The Gerontologist 43:345-359 (2003)
© 2003 The Gerontological Society of America

Total and Out-of-Pocket Expenditures for Prescription Drugs Among Older Persons

Usha Sambamoorthi, PhD1,, Dennis Shea, PhD2 and Stephen Crystal, PhD1

Correspondence: Address correspondence and request for reprints to Usha Sambamoorthi, PhD, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 30 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1293. E-mail: sambamoo{at}rci.rutgers.edu

Purpose: The burden of prescription drug costs on Medicare beneficiaries has become a critical policy issue in improving the Medicare program, yet few studies have provided detailed and current information on that burden. The present study estimates total and out-of-pocket expenditures for prescription drugs and the burden of these costs in relation to income among the elderly population. We also compare spending and burden across major subgroups of the elderly population, as defined by socioeconomic and health characteristics, and we distinguish the impact of these factors by using multivariate models. Design and Methods: The study uses nationally representative data on Medicare beneficiaries from the 1997 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Cost and Use files. The study estimates out-of-pocket prescription drug spending and burden through ordinary least square, median, and logistic regression models with corrections for the complex survey design. Results: Our results show that in 1997, nearly 8% of the older population, more than 2.3 million people, spent greater than 10% of their income on prescription drugs. Despite pharmacy coverage, out-of-pocket cost burden fell most heavily on women and those with chronic health conditions. Burden was also higher among those with self-purchased supplemental coverage. Implications: The impact of Medicare reform proposals on these subgroups has to be carefully evaluated.

Key Words: Out-of-pocket expenditures • Prescription drugs • Medicare • Elderly population




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
GerontologistHome page
N. E. Schoenberg, H. Kim, W. Edwards, and S. T. Fleming
Burden of Common Multiple-Morbidity Constellations on Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenditures Among Older Adults
Gerontologist, August 1, 2007; 47(4): 423 - 437.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Arch Intern MedHome page
S. B. Soumerai, M. Pierre-Jacques, F. Zhang, D. Ross-Degnan, A. S. Adams, J. Gurwitz, G. Adler, and D. G. Safran
Cost-related medication nonadherence among elderly and disabled medicare beneficiaries: a national survey 1 year before the medicare drug benefit.
Arch Intern Med, September 25, 2006; 166(17): 1829 - 1835.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Am. Soc. Nephrol.Home page
U. D. Patel and M. M. Davis
Falling into the Doughnut Hole: Drug Spending among Beneficiaries with End-Stage Renal Disease under Medicare Part D Plans
J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., September 1, 2006; 17(9): 2546 - 2553.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Research on AgingHome page
W. Wei, A. Akincigil, S. Crystal, and U. Sambamoorthi
Gender Differences in Out-of-Pocket Prescription Drug Expenditures Among the Elderly
Research on Aging, July 1, 2006; 28(4): 427 - 453.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci.Home page
I. M. Kronish, A. D. Federman, R. S. Morrison, and J. Boal
Medication utilization in an urban homebound population.
J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., April 1, 2006; 61(4): 411 - 415.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GerontologistHome page
D. Klein, C. Turvey, and R. Wallace
Elders Who Delay Medication Because of Cost: Health Insurance, Demographic, Health, and Financial Correlates
Gerontologist, December 1, 2004; 44(6): 779 - 787.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Copyright © 2003 by The Gerontological Society of America.