Cost-Related Medication Nonadherence After Implementation of Medicare Part D, 2006-2007

To the Editor: High drug costs cause some elderly or disabled patients to take less medication than prescribed or forgo basic needs to pay for medicines. The 2006 Medicare Part D drug benefit was intended to increase economic access to medicines. Data from 2006 indicated modest nationwide decreases in cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) and forgoing basic needs following Part D implementation, but no decline in high rates of CRN among the sickest beneficiaries. We analyzed more recent data to determine whether the reductions remained stable in 2007