This chartbook presents highlights and key comparisons from the state-by-state Statistical Compendium on Medicaid pharmacy benefit use and reimbursement in 2006, which is available on the CMS website. The 2006 data show the initial impact on Medicaid of the movement of prescription drug coverage...

Prescriptions ordered by physicians but not picked up by patients offer an opportunity for quality improvement in health systems. In the military system, prescriptions filled at military pharmacies are dispensed with no co-payment, providing an opportunity to examine factors other than...

This chartbook highlights national and state-by-state data on Medicaid prescription drug use and expenditures for 2005 by beneficiary characteristics (age, sex, and race), basis of eligibility (children, adults, disabled, and aged), and type of drug (brand vs. generic, top 10 drug groups, top 7...

Using 2007 pharmacy claims for postmenopausal Medicare beneficiaries with osteoporosis, this study found medication discontinuation and out-of-pocket drug costs were highest for those enrolled in Medicare Part D plans with a coverage gap.

Before Medicare Part D, Congress authorized the Medicare disease management demonstration to evaluate whether disease management programs—in conjunction with a comprehensive prescription drug benefit—could improve health outcomes and reduce Medicare expenditures. The demonstration...

This study looked at the impact of Medicare Part D coverage gaps by examining drug discontinuation and reinitiation among Medicare beneficiaries using medications for cancer or rheumatoid arthritis. The study found that patients in the arthritis or cancer groups—28 and 21 percent,...

This issue brief highlights a number of Medicaid prescription drug issues that remain for states after the movement of dual eligibles into the Medicare Part D drug benefit. The brief describes new data, prepared by Mathematica and available on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...