MANY MEDICARE PATIENTS WITH COPD CAN’T AFFORD INHALERS

Nearly one-third of Medicare recipients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are
not compliant with their inhaler medication due to associated costs. Researchers from Tufts
Medical Center in Boston examined the relationship between inhaler usage and costs among a
nationally stratified random sample of 16,072 Medicare recipients with COPD. They found that
31 percent of the recipients were not compliant with inhaler medications due to out-of-pocket
costs. Furthermore, patients paying more than $20 per month for inhalers were at significantly
higher risk for noncompliance compared with those who had no out-of-pocket costs. Researchers
conclude that physicians should be aware of the relationship between inhaler compliance and
costs for patients receiving Medicare. This article is published in the September issue of CHEST,
the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians: CHEST 2010;
138(3):614–620.