Medicare Part D and Senior Deaths of Despair

• In Event: Welfare Effects of Health Policies through Coverage, Financing and Access to Medical Care

Abstract

This study examines the impact of the 2006 introduction of Medicare’s prescription drug coverage plan, Part D, on deaths of despair for the elderly population. Psychotropic medications are effective in the treatment of depression and other mental health conditions that may give rise to suicidal ideation. However, the introduction of Part D can also be seen as an increase in access to prescription opioids during a time of sharp incline in misuse. Thus, it is possible that Part D may have decreased deaths by suicide but increased deaths by opioid overdose. We synthesize vital statistics, census, and health survey data to estimate a series of difference-in-differences model that exploits changes in prescription medication insurance access by age over time to estimate the impact of Part D on suicides and deaths by overdoses as well as self-reported mental health. Preliminary results suggest that Part D led to modest reductions in deaths by suicide, as well as an improvement self-reported mental health status in Medicare-eligible elders compared to those within 5 years of eligibility.

Authors

• Bryce Stanley, Brown University
  Presenting Author

• Benjamin Jacob Harrell, Trinity College
  Non-Presenting Co-Author