Gender differences in out-of-pocket prescription drug expenditures among the elderly

Wenhui Wei, Ayse Akincigil, Stephen Crystal, Usha Sambamoorthi

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)427-453
Number of pages27
JournalResearch on Aging
Volume28
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2006

Keywords

  • Decomposition
  • Elderly
  • Gender
  • Medicare beneficiaries
  • Out-of-pocket prescription drug expenditures

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