Issue Brief 8: Capping Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs for Medicare Beneficiaries

Medicare beneficiaries represent the only group of insured people in the U.S. that is not protected by a cap on annual out-of-pocket costs. The absence of an annual cap means that these beneficiaries face great uncertainty about whether they can afford to buy the drugs that have been prescribed for them by their doctors.

This Issue Brief explores how the absence of a cap on annual out-of-pocket drug costs impacts Medicare beneficiaries’ access to needed medications, as well as strategies to address this critical problem.