Most meds used by dual eligibles are covered by Medicare Part D, OIG says

The vast majority of the medications used by people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid can find what they need through Medicare Part D formularies, a federal report finds.

Dual eligibles, who generally have more than one chronic condition and thus take more medications than the average Medicare beneficiaries, comprise a large percentage of nursing home residents. They are among the most expensive beneficiaries to treat.

The Office of the Inspector General, which is required by the Affordable Care Act to conduct such a review, created a list of medications reported by dual eligibles surveyed in the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, ranked them by frequency, and analyzed 272 Part D formularies. Officials found that, on average, 96% of the formularies had 191 of the most common medications used by dual eligibles.

They also found that 23 formularies included 100% of the commonly used drugs.

Click here to read the full OIG report.