According to a recent study, Medicare beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes who reach the coverage gap in their Part D prescription drug benefits--known as the "donut hole" -- have higher out-of-pocket medication costs and are less likely to stay on their medications than those who have supplemental drug benefits.
The study - Falling into the Coverage Gap: Part D Drug Costs and Adherence for Medicare - by Vicki Fung, Ph.D. and colleagues from Kaiser Permanente and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, appears online in the journal Health Services Research.
According to several online press releases, Dr. Fung noted: "We found that having a gap was associated with lower total drug spending among diabetes patients compared with having no gap. However, at least some of these cost savings were due to beneficiaries reducing their use of chronic medications, which may result in worse health outcomes."
Medicare Part D Coverage Gap
If you have a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the coverage gap is when Medicare temporarily stops paying for your prescriptions. If you are in the coverage gap, you have to pay the entire cost of your medications.
I have type 2 diabetes along with several related health conditions. Each year, I hit the coverage gap, or donut hole, in August and pay full price for my medications until the end of the year. The sudden jump from paying less than $100 each month to over $400 a month is upsetting and I can understand why people cut back on their medications.
Learn More About Medicare Part D Donut Hole:
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