National Surveys of Pharmacists and Physicians, Findings on Medicare Part D
Two national surveys conducted and analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation show that substantial majorities of pharmacists and physicians believe that the prescription drug law is helping people on Medicare save money on their medications. At the same time, a majority in both professions report that Medicare beneficiaries who they see are encountering problems in getting their medications, sometimes with serious consequences.
The questions about Medicare drug plans were part of surveys designed and analyzed by the Foundation to assess the views and experiences of pharmacists and doctors on the new drug benefit and other topics. Portions of the surveys related to other topics will be released later this year.
The two surveys were conducted between April and July, during the first year of Medicare’s new drug benefit. Nationally representative samples of 802 pharmacists and 834 doctors were surveyed. Each survey has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Toplines: National Survey of Pharmacists, Findings on Medicare Part D
Toplines: National Survey of Physicians, Findings on Medicare Part D