Rio Grande: State: NJ [New Jersey] Counties: CAPE MAY, NJ: Multi County: No: City Alias(es): Rio Grande: Area Code: 609: City Type: P [Post Office] Classification: [Non-Unique] Time Zone: Eastern (GMT -05:00) Observes Day Light Savings: Yes: Latitude: 39.017188: Longitude:-74.870632: Elevation: 19 ft: State FIPS: 34: County FIPS: 009: Region: Northeast: Division: Middle Atlantic: Intro Date:
Policy Implications of Medicare Coverage. Since outpatient prescription drug use is not covered by Medicare, it is a major source of out-of-pocket expenditures for the elderly. By one estimate, severely disabled elderly persons spend more than half their out-of-pocket health expenditures on outpatient prescription drugs.
Elderly patients take about three times as many medications as younger patients do. 1 They are also the greatest consumers of prescribed and nonprescribed medications. 2 There has been a gradual increase in prescription drug use in the United States. According to the Medicare, the average number of prescriptions per year, including refills, is currently 28.5 per senior (up from 19.6 in 1992).