Why the study?
Does Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage increase the use of antihypertensive medications in seniors with hypertension?
Does Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage increase the use of antihypertensive medications in seniors with hypertension?
The implementation of Medicare Part D was associated with a significant increase in the utilization of antihypertensive medications, particularly ARBs, among seniors who previously lacked adequate drug coverage.
Medicare Part D was associated with increased antihypertensive use among uncovered seniors; extends observational policy data but leaves causal outcome effects open.
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.
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Zhang et al. (2010) studied this question.
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