News Briefs: Few Medicare enrollees get state pharmacy benefits
State pharmacy assistance programs for Medicare beneficiaries help only a small proportion of enrollees — just 3%, or 1.2 million out of 39 million nationwide, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund in New York City.
The report indicates that a federal program is needed to fill this gap in coverage, and that any federal program should coordinate with the 28 state programs currently in place.
"Some states have been working for years on reducing the high cost of prescription drugs for low-income beneficiaries," says Karen Davis, president of The Commonwealth Fund. "Their experience shows that designing benefits that meet the needs of beneficiaries and premiums that are affordable are key to participation. Without a Medicare prescription drug benefit, state programs are unlikely to reach significant numbers of those at risk for burdensome out-of-pocket prescription expenses."
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania operate three of the largest programs, accounting for three-quarters of state appropriations for pharmacy assistance. "The experience gained by the states can be of great value in the design of a national program," says Stephen Crystal, PhD, of Rutgers Center for State Health Policy in New Brunswick, NJ. Crystal is principal investigator of the study.
The report is based on a survey of all state pharmacy assistance programs in place throughout 2000 and interviews with state program administrators. To view the report, go to the web site: www.cmwf.org/programs/medfutur/fox_statepharmacy_530.pdf.
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