This new analysis, which assesses Medicare drug benefit enrollment statistics released Feb. 22 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, examines five different approaches to understanding the Medicare drug coverage numbers:

• What share of the total Medicare population has creditable prescription drug coverage?   
    
• What share of the total Medicare population is enrolled in a Medicare drug plan?
  
  
•  How do current drug plan enrollment numbers compare to projections previously released by the Administration?
  
  
• What share of beneficiaries voluntarily signed up for a Medicare drug  plan, among those without another source of creditable drug coverage?
  
  
• Among beneficiaries who lacked prescription drug coverage, how many signed up for a Medicare drug plan?
  

 Issue Brief (.pdf)