Abstract
Many elderly in the United States face high out-of-pocket prescription drug (OOP-PD) expenditures, with elderly women being disproportionably affected. Using Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data for 1992 to 2000, the authors examined the gender differences in OOP-PD expenditures and burden among community-dwelling elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition techniques were used to evaluate the contribution of observed demographic, socioeconomic, and utilization factors on the gender gap in OOP-PD expenditures and burden. Among observed characteristics, differences in utilization and supplemental insurance coverage were the major drivers of the gender gap in OOP-PD expenditures and burden. Unobservable factors contributed to the majority of the gender gap in OOP-PD expenditures.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 427-453 |
Number of pages | 27 |
Journal | Research on Aging |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2006 |
Keywords
- Decomposition
- Elderly
- Gender
- Medicare beneficiaries
- Out-of-pocket prescription drug expenditures