The following provides additional information on Medicare and prescription drug coverage as well as links to related sites. At this time, prescription drug coverage is not a part of the Medicare benefits package. Beneficiaries can buy into private plans or purchase supplemental coverage. According to research conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Americans spent 91 billion dollars on prescription drugs in 1998. It has been estimated that, by 2008, the amount spent for medications will be 243 billion dollars.
Supplemental insurance can be from either public or private plans.
Even those who do have supplemental coverage, it is often not continuous. It is not surprising that the money spent on medications is higher for those who are in poor health or severely limited in their daily activities. In the 1960s, there were only a few medicines for conditions that the elderly commonly suffer from. Good drug therapies for chronic illnesses were rare. The exploding prescription drug market, while helping to extend lives and improve quality of life, has become a financial burden on the population that most needs it-a scenario that was not foreseen when Medicare was first enacted.