Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients who reached the coverage gap spending threshold in 2006 or 2007.
| Exposed | Combined unexposed group (LIS + retirees) | LIS-only unexposed group (sensitivity analysis) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) or mean ± SD unless otherwise noted | |||
| N | 8,103 | 234,976 | 75,773 |
| Female gender | 5,096 (63) | 147,646 (63) | 57,219 (76) |
| Age as of January 1 of the study year | 75 ± 7 | 75 ± 7 | 76 ± 8 |
| 65 – 74 | 4,116 (51) | 119,850 (51) | 37,833 (50) |
| 75 – 84 | 3,126 (39) | 91,160 (39) | 27,262 (36) |
| 85+ | 861 (11) | 23,966 (10) | 10,678 (14) |
| Race | |||
| White | 7,775 (96) | 202,103 (86) | 52,940 (70) |
| Black | 232 (3) | 22,617 (10) | 14,824 (20) |
| Other | 96 (1) | 10,256 (4) | 8,009 (11) |
| Region | |||
| Northeast | 3,113 (38) | 61,940 (26) | 26,376 (35) |
| Central | 1,479 (18) | 61,201 (26) | 20,546 (27) |
| South | 2,795 (34) | 90,991 (39) | 23,999 (32) |
| West | 716 (9) | 20,844 (9) | 4,852 (6) |
| Urban residence | 6,128 (76) | 165,172 (70) | 51,733 (68) |
| Median household income in zip code of residence ($) | 48,706 ± 20,640 | 42,720 ± 18,399 | 39,327 ± 16,973 |
| Charlson comorbidity score* | 2 ± 2 | 2 ± 2 | 3 ± 2 |
| Number of physician visits* | 12 ± 8 | 9 ± 8 | 9 ± 8 |
| Number of hospitalizations* | 0.4 ± 1 | 0.4 ± 1 | 0.5 ± 1 |
| Number of unique medications † | 6 ± 3 | 7 ± 4 | 8 ± 3 |
| Total Medicare Parts A, B spending* ($) [median, interquartile range (IQR)] | 3,886 (1,776; 9,751) | 3,314 (1,407; 8,381) | 3,672 (1,599; 9,168) |
| Total out-of-pocket drug spending † ($) [median, IQR] | 158 (109; 220) | 52 (18; 142) | 21 (11; 34) |
| Total plan drug spending † ($)[median, IQR] | 384 (257; 543) | 530 (333; 815) | 616 (413; 923) |
| Diagnosis of:* | |||
| Atrial fibrillation | 431 (5) | 10,238 (4) | 2,828 (4) |
| Congestive heart failure | 1,919 (24) | 58,700 (25) | 24,962 (33) |
| Coronary artery disease | 3,373 (42) | 90,669 (39) | 29,087 (38) |
| Hypertension | 7,068 (87) | 199,751 (85) | 67,359 (89) |
*
Assessed in the baseline year.
†
Assessed in the 2 months prior to reaching the coverage gap spending threshold.