Medicare Part D

Completed Projects

Listed by project completion date. You can also view these projects alphabetically.

2024

• Medicare Advantage Plan Growth in Rural America: Opportunities for Beneficiaries?
  County Medicare Advantage enrollment data and plan characteristic data were used to create a model accounting for the availability of plans offering benefits addressing social determinants of health. Analyses compared rural and urban counties, and examined county characteristics to explore potential equitable opportunities for rural beneficiaries because of geography and other factors.
  Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Topics: Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Part D, Social determinants of health, Telehealth, Transportation
  

2022

• Continuous Services in the Absence of Retail Pharmacies in Rural Communities
  This project identified communities with and without pharmacies by rurality and described the differences in population and market characteristics of communities with and without any pharmacies. Research findings regarding "pharmacy deserts" informed alternative methods of securing services based on community characteristics.
  Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  
• Medicare Beneficiary Access to Prescription Drugs Under Part D
  This study built on RUPRI Center work describing patterns of enrollment into Medicare Part D plans (including access to zero deductible plans) by using transaction files to analyze how medications are actually acquired and implications for access to local pharmacy services.
  Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Topics: Medicare, Medicare Part D
  

2015

• Are Part D Plans Meeting the Needs of Rural Medicare Beneficiaries?
  The purpose of this project is to assess whether the Medicare Part D prescription drug plans available in rural counties are sufficient to meet the needs of rural Medicare beneficiaries.
  Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Medicare, Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  

2013

• Has the Medicare Part D Program Improved Medication Access and the Health Status of Rural Beneficiaries?
  This project will use Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data to assess the impact of the Medicare Part D Program on medication access and the health status of rural Medicare beneficiaries.
  Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  

2012

• Assessing the Community Impact of the MMA
  This project will measure the community-level impacts of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) and will provide feedback to policymakers regarding the impact of the MMA on its policy targets (providers and beneficiaries), in the context of rural places.
  Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Topics: Legislation and regulation, Medicare, Medicare Part D
  

2008

• Assessing the Impact of Transfer of Pharmacy Services for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries to Medicare Part D
  This project will focus on the implementation of the new Part D benefit for those dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The study will examine the impact on rural dual eligibles and their local pharmacies of the transfer to Part D coverage. The project is a joint undertaking with the RUPRI Center, taking advantage of unique data sets held at each center, the analytical and programming resources of both centers, and the ability to conduct qualitative analysis in multiple states efficiently.
  Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Topics: Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  
• Medicare Modernization Act: Reality for Rural Beneficiaries and Providers
  This project will focus on two areas of new activity in Medicare beneficiary participation in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans and implementation of the new Part D benefit through private health plans. We will describe enrollment into specific types of MA prescription drug plans and other prescription drug plans, and analyze differences across regions, states, and types of counties. We will also examine the impact of the transfer to Part D coverage on rural dual eligibles and their local pharmacies.
  Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Topics: Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Part D
  

2006

• Implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: What is Available to Rural Beneficiaries?
  This study will focus on the impact of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 on rural beneficiaries, based on actual prescription drug plan contracts, comparing the impact of the legislation on rural beneficiaries to their urban counterparts.
  Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Topics: Legislation and regulation, Medicare Part D