Ensuring access to medicines can help contain Medicare spending growth.

Beneficiaries with three or more chronic conditions account for nearly 90 percent of Medicare spending. Having a choice of treatment options allows physicians to treat patients with more than one condition by choosing from a variety of medications within a therapeutic class to avoid potentially dangerous drug-to-drug interactions or drug-to-disease interactions.

Chart Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, http://209.217.72.34/aging 4/27/2005

Inpatient hospital and physician services and other non-drug medical costs account for 88 percent of Medicare spending on beneficiaries with diabetes. Managing diabetes with effective drug therapies can reduce the number of complications that lead to hospital stays and other more costly interventions. Ensuring that patients have access to appropriate new medicines can help to contain overall Medicare spending.