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Medicare "donut hole" may lead to lower quality of life for seniors 2010-01-14 Seniors subject to the Medicare "donut hole" may be more likely to skip important medications, a recent study reveals. The study, reported in BusinessWeek magazine, was performed by a major insurance company and the medical school at the University of California-Los Angeles. It used data from 2006, when Medicare beneficiaries' drug costs were subsidized up to a total cost of $2,250 and after $3,600. Beneficiaries whose drug expenses were between those points were responsible for the full cost. The study determined that people in the donut hole paid more out-of-pocket for their medication and had a higher likelihood of skipping their diabetes medications. Beneficiaries in the gap were found to be "reducing their use of chronic medications, which may result in worse health outcomes," study author Vicki Fung said. Lawmakers are addressing the donut hole - long a bugbear of seniors living on fixed incomes - in their healthcare reform proposals. While a final bill has yet to be hammered out, Congress is likely to close the politically unpopular coverage gap. Doing so may well increase the health and well-being of many older people.  |
