TABLE 2.
Rates of Failure to Fill or Refill at Least One Prescription in 2004 by Medicare Sample Subgroup
| Population Attributes of Medicare Beneficiaries | Failed to Fill 1 or More Prescriptions | Filled All Prescriptions or Had No Prescriptions | X2 | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated Population | % of Population | Estimated Population | % of Population | |||
| Total | 1,620,200 | 4.4 | 35,294,380 | 95.6 | ||
| Age, years | 97.8 | < 0.001 | ||||
| 18-64 (SSDI beneficiaries) | 568,740 | 10.4 | 4,912,380 | 89.6 | ||
| 65 years or older (retirement beneficiaries) | 1,051,460 | 3.3 | 30,382,000 | 96.7 | ||
| Sex | 12.0 | 0.001 | ||||
| Male | 589,370 | 3.6 | 15,715,790 | 96.4 | ||
| Female | 1,030,830 | 5.0 | 19,578,580 | 95.0 | ||
| Race | 6.8 | 0.010 | ||||
| White | 1,313,060 | 4.2 | 30,128,930 | 95.8 | ||
| Nonwhite | 293,080 | 5.5 | 5,083,780 | 94.5 | ||
| Ethnicity | 3.1 | 0.080 | ||||
| Hispanic | 163,790 | 5.7 | 2,716,150 | 94.3 | ||
| Non-Hispanic | 1,455,120 | 4.3 | 32,524,510 | 95.7 | ||
| Annual household income | 11.5 | < 0.001 | ||||
| < $10,000 | 334,990 | 4.9 | 6,532,710 | 95.1 | ||
| $10,001-$20,000 | 476,110 | 5.0 | 9,041,190 | 95.0 | ||
| $20,001-$30,000 | 345,070 | 5.0 | 6,527,550 | 95.0 | ||
| > $30,000 | 388,060 | 3.2 | 11,555,170 | 96.8 | ||
| Supplemental insurance | ||||||
| Medicaid (dual eligibles) | 375,790 | 6.3 | 5,636,730 | 93.7 | 15.1 | 0.001 |
| Private supplemental (self-pay and employer paid) | 740,360 | 3.4 | 21,159,410 | 96.6 | 31.4 | < 0.001 |
| Medicare HMO (Medicare Part C) | 246,690 | 4.1 | 5,835,480 | 95.9 | 0.5 | 0.500 |
| Chronic conditions (self-reported lifetime history) a | ||||||
| Hypertension | 1,017,820 | 4.5 | 21,386,670 | 95.5 | 0.8 | 0.364 |
| Arthritis | 1,137,130 | 5.2 | 20,644,400 | 94.8 | 26.3 | < 0.001 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 805,360 | 5.2 | 14,654,910 | 94.8 | 9.0 | 0.003 |
| Cancer | 489,340 | 4.3 | 10,879,000 | 95.7 | 0.1 | 0.785 |
| Diabetes | 427,470 | 5.5 | 7,341,830 | 94.5 | 4.3 | 0.038 |
| Psychiatric conditions | 556,720 | 8.0 | 6,445,410 | 92.0 | 37.4 | < 0.001 |
| Emphysema, asthma, or COPD | 382,060 | 6.6 | 5,397,720 | 93.4 | 20.0 | < 0.001 |
| Stroke or brain hemorrhage | 194,480 | 4.6 | 4,002,710 | 95.4 | 0.1 | 0.717 |
| Neurological disease | 145,730 | 5.0 | 2,783,360 | 95.0 | 0.9 | 0.357 |
| Number of self-reported chronic conditions a | 7.3 | < 0.001 | ||||
| None | 64,000 | 2.5 | 2,546,420 | 97.5 | ||
| 1 | 209,900 | 3.2 | 6,258,280 | 96.8 | ||
| 2 | 350,900 | 4.0 | 8,348,510 | 96.0 | ||
| 3 | 372,200 | 4.3 | 8,263,360 | 95.7 | ||
| 4 or more | 623,100 | 5.9 | 9,877,810 | 94.1 | ||
Source: 2004 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, Access to Care File, community resident sample.
a Self-reported conditions were identified by asking respondents, “Has a doctor ever told you that you had …” and then naming the condition.
COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; HMO = health maintenance organization; SSDI = Social Security Disability Insurance; X2 = chi-square.