The Medicare donut hole: Now you're covered, now you're not
If you're older, a woman, and suffering from either dementia or diabetes, you are the most likely to be exposed to unsubsidised medication costs in the US. This is known as the coverage gap for enrolees of Medicare Part D - the US federal program which subsidises the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. According to Dr Susan Ettner from UCLA in the US, and her colleagues, these clinically vulnerable groups should be counselled on how to best manage costs through either drug substitution or discontinuation of specific, non-essential medications. This is important so that more essential medication is not discontinued with adverse effects on patients' health, for cost reasons only. Their findings have just appeared online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, published by Springer...