Assessing the Impact of Medicare-D
on SSDI Beneficiaries
The new prescription drug benefit, Medicare Part D, is described as "the most significant change in Medicare coverage since the program's inception."
Tracking the impact of the new drug benefit is particularly important for younger adults with disabilities who become eligible for Medicare through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.
Although younger beneficiaries compose only 14.1% of the total Medicare population, they account for about 17% ($71.6 billion) of the total program expenditures. Despite their economic and political importance, younger beneficiaries with disabilities are routinely overlooked in Medicare research and policy.
This project employs a multi-method, repeated-measures design to assess the impact of Medicare-D on younger beneficiaries in four distinct, but interrelated, studies:
- quantitative analysis of access and utilization rates among beneficiaries under age 65, using successive panels of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey;
- qualitative research on the impact of Medicare benefits on employment and continuity of medical care, based on repeated focus groups at two sites;
- formulary analysis of coverage for critical medications among competing private Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans in Washington State; and
- ongoing policy analysis of legislative and regulatory changes in Medicare and SSDI.
Through dissemination of research findings, this project will enhance awareness in the research and policy community of the unique Medicare-D concerns of younger beneficiaries with disabilities, consistent with the ultimate goal of improving access to affordable health services.
This
project is supported by the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)
within the Department of Education.
- Principal Investigator:
Jae Kennedy, PhD - Project Number: H133G070055
- Funding Agency:
National Institute on Disability & Rehabilitation Research - Budget: FY 07 $199,955; FY 08 $199,706; FY 09 $199,830
