Does Medicare Part D Protect the Elderly from Financial Risk?

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The brief’s key findings are:

  • The Medicare Part D prescription drug program covers a large percentage of the elderly and their prescription costs.
  • Strikingly, as of 2007, about 70 percent of the program’s enrollees already had drug coverage before joining Part D.
  • Similarly, about 75 percent of Part D spending substituted for spending by private insurance or individuals.
  • A full assessment of Part D’s overall social impact requires further research.