Abstract
The following overview knits together a collection of articles that focus on prescription drug issues as they relate to the Medicare Program. In general, the articles examine the following themes: drug cost management; drug cost estimation, and racial disparities in drug coverage and use. These commentaries provide information on private-sector experience in administering a drug benefit, models that might be used to estimate take-up rates and their associated costs, and several in depth looks at racial disparities by various chronic conditions.