Most Medicare Part D Plans Incentivize Use of Generics, Study Finds

For medications with both brand-name and generic versions, an overwhelming majority of Medicare Part D plans encouraged the use of generics over their brand-name equivalents in 2019, according to a study published in Health Affairs. By analyzing Part D formulary coverage and tier placement of matched brand-name drugs and generics, the researchers found that 84% of Part D plan-product combinations covered the generic only in 2019, while 15% covered both brand-name and generic versions. In 2019, of the 1,361 drug products analyzed, there were 98% of products for which generics were placed on a lower cost-sharing tier than their brand-name counterparts in at least one plan in 2019.

© 2023 MMIT
Jinghong Chen

Jinghong Chen Reporter

Jinghong produces infographics and data stories on health insurance and specialty pharmacy for AIS Health. She graduated from Missouri School of Journalism with a focus on data journalism and international reporting. Before joining AIS in 2018, she worked at WBEZ, Al Jazeera English and The New York Times Chinese.

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