Cost-Related Medication Nonadherence After the Inflation Reduction Act

Did cost-related medication nonadherence change among Medicare beneficiaries following implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s 2024 prescription drug provisions?In this difference-in-differences analysis including 1454 Medicare beneficiaries and 3797 privately insured comparators, Medicare beneficiaries experienced a 4.9–percentage point reduction in cost-related medication nonadherence after the prescription drug provisions relative to comparators. This improvement was consistent across multiple sensitivity analyses, and no meaningful differential changes were observed in broader measures of health care–related financial strain.The Inflation Reduction Act’s 2024 prescription drug provisions were associated with a reduction in cost-related medication nonadherence, which could have important implications for chronic disease management and clinical outcomes.

Corresponding Author: Rishi K. Wadhera, MD, MPP, MPhil, Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 375 Longwood Ave, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02215 (rwadhera@bidmc.harvard.edu).

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