Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising on Prescription Drug Spending June 10, 2003 Report A new study by researchers at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology looks at the effect of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising on spending for prescription drugs. The study found that, on average, a 10% increase in DTC advertising of drugs within a therapeutic drug class resulted in a 1% increase in sales of the drugs in that class.
Transitions 2005 January 24, 2005 Video Transitions is a video that explores some of the issues and challenges “dual eligibles” may face during the transition from Medicaid drug coverage to Medicare. To download the video, right-click here and select “Save as…”
Transitions 2006 April 30, 2006 Video On January 1, 2006, the six million Americans who are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid saw a change in how their prescription drugs are covered. The dual eligible population was transitioned from Medicaid into the Medicare prescription drug benefit. As a group, these beneficiaries are poorer and sicker than…
Illustrating the Potential Impacts of Adverse Selection on Health Insurance Costs in Consumer Choice Models July 7, 2006 Issue Brief Health Care Spending in the United States and OECD Countries Health spending is rising faster than incomes in most developed countries, which raises questions about how these countries will pay for future health care needs. The issue may be particularly acute in the United States, which not only spends much…
Understanding The Effects of The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap in 2008 and 2009 August 30, 2011 Report This Kaiser Family Foundation study examines how the coverage gap in Medicare’s drug benefit known as the “doughnut hole” affects Medicare beneficiaries and their prescribing patterns. Based on actual claims data from 2008 and 2009, before the 2010 health reform law began to close the gap, the study finds that…
Estimates of Medicare Beneficiaries’ Out-of-Pocket Drug Spending in 2006 November 1, 2004 Report This report projects the impact of the new Medicare drug benefit on out-of-pocket spending for people who enroll in 2006. This analysis from November 2004 estimates that 6.9 million beneficiaries are projected to be affected by the coverage gap (the so-called “doughnut hole”) in the standard Part D drug benefit.…
Snapshots: Comparing Projected Growth in Health Care Expenditures and the Economy April 17, 2006 Issue Brief The rising cost of health care is much in the news. Health costs continue to grow faster than national income and, despite research indicating that we the get good value for the increased spending, some policy makers and health analysts question whether governments and private employers can continue to finance…
Snapshots: Insurance Premium Cost-Sharing and Coverage Take-up January 24, 2007 Issue Brief One of the many reasons an individual may be uninsured is that she or he decides an employer’s offer of health insurance is too expensive. Several studies have noted the likelihood that a worker will decline an employer’s offer of health insurance increases with the amount he or she is…
Snapshots: Effect of Tying Eligibility for Health Insurance Subsidies to the Federal Poverty Level February 12, 2007 Issue Brief Considerable attention has been paid in recent years to the rapid growth of health insurance premiums and its impact on coverage affordability. Premium growth has far outpaced growth in workers earnings, which means that workers have to spend more of their income each year on health care to maintain current…