The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) established a voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit for people on Medicare, known as Part D, that went into effect January 1, 2006.  Compiled below are key Foundation resources and data on the Medicare drug benefit.  A complete list of Foundation reports on the drug benefit and other Medicare-related research, data, and information are available at www.kff.org/medicare.

Recent Releases and New Information

• Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlights (April 2008)
  
  • Utilization Management
    
  • Formularies
    
• • Specialty Tiers
  • Benefit Design
  • Premiums
  • The Coverage Gap
  • Ten Most Commonly Prescribed Drugs
  • Low-Income Subsidy
    
  • Methodology Appendix
  • Summary of Findings
    
    
• Voices of Beneficiaries: Attitudes Toward Medicare Part D Open Enrollment for 2008 (December 2007)
  
• Overview of Medicare Part D Organizations, Plans and Benefits By Enrollment in 2006 and 2007 (November 2007)
  
• Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Progress Report: Findings From A 2006 National Survey of Seniors (KFF/Commonwealth/Tufts-New England Medical Center, August 2007)
• Survey of Seniors and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (KFF/Harvard School of Public Health, December 2006)
• Fact Sheets
  
  • Medicare Advantage (September 2008)
  • Medicare Spending and Financing (September 2008)
    
  • Low-Income Assistance Under the Medicare Drug Benefit (February 2008)
  • Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (February 2008)
  • State-level Medicare Part D Plan Characteristics (October 2007)
• Statehealthfacts.org
  • Medicare Beneficiaries with Creditable Prescription Drug Coverage by Type, as of 1/16/07
  • Part D Enrollees with Low-Income Subsidy, as of 1/16/07
    
  • Medicare Drug Benefit Low-Income Subsidy Applications, as of 11/17/06
  • Number of Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs), 2007
• Charts
• • Standard Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit 2007
  • Most Current Data on Prescription Drug Coverage, January 2007
• Status Report On Medicare Part D Enrollment In 2006: Analysis Of Plan-Specific Market Share And Coverage - Health Affairs, Web Exclusive (Cubanski and Neuman, November 2006)
• Retiree Health Benefits Examined: Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2006 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits (KFF/Hewitt, December 2006)
• Benefit Design and Formularies of Medicare Drug Plans: A Comparison of 2006 and 2007 Offerings (Hoadley et al, November 2006)
• Additional Help with Rx Drug Costs for Low-income People on Medicare, 2007
• Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plans Monthly Tracking Report

Reports and Papers Related to the Medicare Drug Benefit

Part D Plan Benefit Design, Formularies and Beneficiary Spending

• Status Report On Medicare Part D Enrollment In 2006: Analysis Of Plan-Specific Market Share And Coverage - Health Affairs, Web Exclusive (Cubanski and Neuman, November 2006)
• Premiums and Cost Sharing Features in Medicare's New Prescription Drug Program, 2006 (Gold, May 2006)
• An In-Depth Examination of Formularies and Other Features of Medicare Drug Plans (Hoadley et al, April 2006)
• The Role of Part D for People With HIV/AIDS: Coverage and Cost of Antiretrovirals Under Medicare Drug Plans (Kaiser Family Foundation, August 2006)
• Prescription Drug Spending Under the MMA: Modeling the Impact on Out-of-Pocket Costs (Mays et al, November 2004)
• Potential Effects of Pharmacy Management Tools on Access to Medications (Huskamp and Keating, July 2004)

Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans

• The Growth of Private Plans in Medicare, 2006 (Gold, March 2006)
• The Landscape of Private Firms Offering Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage in 2006 (Gold, March 2006)
• Profile and Analysis of the 26 Medicare Advantage Regions (Gold, March 2005)
• Medicare Advantage Fact Sheet (Kaiser Family Foundation, September 2008)
• Kaiser Family Foundation Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plan Tracker

Drug Benefit Enrollment

• Benefit Design and Formularies of Medicare Drug Plans: A Comparison of 2006 and 2007 Offerings (Hoadley et al, November 2006)
• Tracking Prescription Drug Coverage Under Medicare: Five Ways to Look at the New Enrollment Numbers (Kaiser Family Foundation, February 2006)
• The Impact of Enrollment in the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit on Premiums (Blum et al, October 2005)

Medicaid and Dual Eligibles

• Low-Income Assistance Under the Medicare Drug Benefit (Kaiser Family Foundation, February 2008)
• Dual Eligibles and Medicare Part D (KCMU, May 2006)
• An Update on the Clawback: Revised Health Spending Data Change State Financial Obligations for the New Medicare Drug Benefit (KCMU, March 2006)
• The Transition of Dual Eligibles to Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage: State Actions During Implementation (KCMU, February 2006)
• Issues for Dual Eligibles with Disabilities and Serious Conditions (KCMU, July 2004)
• Dual Eligibles in Nursing Facilities and Medicare Drug Coverage (KCMU, November 2003)

Low-Income Beneficiaries and Special Populations

• Role of State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs (Kaiser Family Foundation, July 2007)
• Toward Making Medicare Work for Low-Income Beneficiaries: A Baseline Comparison of the Part D Low-Income Subsidy and Medicare Savings Programs Eligibility and Enrollment Rules (Kaiser Family Foundation, May 2006)
• Hispanics and the New Medicare Drug Benefit (Kaiser Family Foundation, November 2005)
• African Americans and the New Medicare Drug Benefit (Kaiser Family Foundation, November 2005)
• Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage for Residents of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities: Special Problems and Concerns (Edelman, November 2005)
• Low-Income Subsidies for the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: The Impact of the Asset Test (Rice et al, April 2005)

Consumer Issues

• Beneficiary Challenges in Using the Medicare Part D Appeals Process To Obtain Medically Necessary Drugs (Gottlich, September 2006)
• Oversight and Enforcement of Medicare Part D Plan Requirements: Federal Role and Responsibilities (Edelman, September 2006)
• The Exceptions and Appeals Process: Issues and Concerns in Obtaining Coverage Under the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit (Gottlich, November 2005)
• Consumer Protection Issues Raised by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (Dallek, July 2004)

Employer/Retiree Coverage

• Retiree Health Benefits Examined: Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2006 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits (KFF/Hewitt, December 2006)
• Prospects for Retiree Health Benefits as Medicare Drug Coverage Begins: Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2005 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits (KFF/Hewitt, December 2005)

Public Opinion

Surveys

• Seniors and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit  (December 2006)
• National Surveys of Pharmacists and Physicians, Findings on Medicare Part D (September 2006)
• Seniors' Early Experiences With Their New Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (June 2006)
• Seniors' Early Experiences with the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (April 2006)
• The Medicare Drug Benefit: Beneficiary Perspectives Just Before Implementation (November 2005)

All other Kaiser polls on Medicare are available here.

Focus Groups and Interviews

• Voices of Beneficiaries: Medicare Part D Insights and Observations One Year Later (Perry et al, December 2006)
• Voices of Beneficiaries: Early Experiences with the Medicare Drug Benefit (Perry, April 2006)
• Early Experiences of Medicare Beneficiaries in Prescription Drug Plans: Insights from Medicare SCHIP Directors (James et al, August 2006)
• Observations on the Initial Implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Program: Perspectives of State Medicaid Directors Through a Focus Group Discussion (KCMU, May 2006)
• Profiles of Medicare Beneficiaries With Medicaid Drug Coverage Prior to the Medicare Drug Benefit (Perry, December 2005)
• Reactions to the New Medicare Law: Findings Based on Focus Groups with Medicare Beneficiaries (McInturff/Garin, June 2004)

Consumer Resources

• Talking About Medicare and Health Coverage: Your Guide to Understanding the Program (Kaiser Family Foundation, February 2008)
• Medicare Q&A Weekly Column (Kaiser Family Foundation, September 2005-June 2006)

MMA Law, Regulations, and Analyses

• Summary of Final Regulations Implementing the New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (February 2005)
• Summaries of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement & Modernization Act of 2003 (January 2004)
• The Effects of Formularies and Other Cost Management Tools on Access to Medications: An Analysis of the MMA and the Final Rule (Hoadley, March 2005)
• A Comparison of Proposed and Final Regulations Governing Medicare Part D Plan Enrollment and Part D Benefit Appeal and Grievance Procedures (Rosenbaum, March 2005)
• Marketing and Privacy Issues: An Analysis of the MMA and Proposed Regulations (Pritts, September 2004)
• Issues for Medicare Beneficiaries in Long-Term Care Facilities: An Analysis of the MMA and Proposed Regulation (Gottlich, September 2004)