Effects of Medicare Part D on guideline-concordant pharmacotherapy for bipolar 1 disorder among dually enrolled beneficiaries

Marguerite Burns et al. examined the effect of an insurance coverage transition that occured in 2006, which shifted coverage from Medicaid to Medicare Part D private drug plans for individuals who were enrolled in both programs. In this study, the authors investigated the receipt of guideline-concordant pharmacotherapy for biopolar I disorder after the transition and found that 16 months after the transition to Part D, the number of people with any recommended use of anti-manic drugs was higher than expected, and the number of ED visits per month temporarily increased by 19% immediately after the transition.

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