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The Impact Of Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage On The Use Of Antidementia Drugs, Nicole R. Fowler, Yi-Fan Chen, Christiana A. Thurton, Aiju Men, Eric G. Rodriguez, Julie M. Donohue

Publications and Research

Background Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are prescribed to slow the progression dementia. Although the efficacy of these drugs has been demonstrated, their effectiveness, from the perspective of patients and caregivers, has been questioned. Little is known about whether the demand for cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are sensitive to out-of-pocket cost. Using the 2006 implementation of Medicare Part D as a natural experiment, this study examines the impact of changes in drug coverage on use of cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine by comparing use before and after Medicare Part D implementation among older adults who did and did not experience a change …