Changes in drug coverage generosity and untreated serious mental illness: transitioning from Medicaid to Medicare Part D.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

More than 1 in 5 disabled people with dual Medicare-Medicaid enrollment have schizophrenia or a bipolar disorder (ie, a serious mental illness). The effect of their transition from Medicaid drug coverage, which varies in generosity across states, to the Medicare Part D drug benefit is unknown. Many thousands make this transition annually.

Objectives

To determine the effect of transitioning from Medicaid drug benefits to Medicare Part D on medication use by patients with a serious mental illness and to determine the influence of Medicaid drug caps.

Design, setting, and participants

In time-series analysis of continuously enrolled patient cohorts (2004-2007), we estimated changes in medication use before and after transitioning to Part D, comparing states tha

SUBMITTER: Madden JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4505620 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature