ELDERLY WITH MEDIGAP DRUG COVERAGE SPEND 26% MORE ON Rx COSTS

Executive Summary

ELDERLY WITH MEDIGAP DRUG COVERAGE SPEND 26% MORE ON Rx COSTS than seniors with Medigap insurance who do not have any prescription drug coverage, a report prepared by RAND Researcher Stephen Long for the American Association of Retired Persons and the Public Policy Institute finds. Long determined from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey that elderly Americans with Medigap prescription drug coverage spend an average of $351 annually on Rx drug costs, while those without Rx coverage spend an average of $278 annually on prescription drug costs.