Most Medicare Part D prescription drug plans use tiers with different cost-sharing amounts for generic, preferred, and non-preferred drugs, and also include an additional “specialty” tier for very high cost and unique drugs. This 2009 Part D Data Spotlight examines use of the specialty tier, including the numbers and kinds of drugs included on specialty tiers, what beneficiaries pay for those drugs, and trends over time.

The spotlight is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to beneficiaries in 2009. These spotlights were prepared by a team of researchers at Georgetown University, NORC and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Issue Brief (.pdf)