PCV86 - Inertia Or Actual Switching On Medicaton Adherence And Economic Well-Being Of Medicare Beneficiaries Enrolled In Part D Plans

Abstract

It is not well understood the relative impacts of switching (from brand name drug to generic drug or plan switching) and consumer inertia on medication non-adherence and economic well-being for individuals with at least four most common chronic conditions: diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and psychiatric problem. The goal of the current study is to examine the whether switching decision or consumer inertia impact medication adherence and/or economic well-being of older adults Medicare beneficiaries participated in the 2007 HRS prescription drug survey and 2009 HRS well-being survey and enrolled in Medicare part D (stand-alone), HMO, fee-for service or Advantage plans. The study sample includes 773 individuals with at least one of four common chronic health conditions and responded both years. Random intercept logit model was estimated for medication non-adherence and population based generalized estimating equation was utilized to examine poverty-adjusted well-being (excluding out-of-pocket medical expenditure from poverty threshold) Preliminary results indicate that individuals having inertia in plan switching were 3.4 times more likely to be non-adherent to regular prescription medications compared to those without inertia (odds ratio estimate, 3.4 with p<0.001). Neither switching from brand name drug to generic drug plan nor plan level switching appeared to be a significant predictor of medication non-adherence or economic well-being in this group. Consumer inertia rather switching decision appears to be a significant factor influencing medication non-adherence among individuals with four common chronic health conditions