Which legislation introduced prescription drug coverage under Medicare, commonly referred to as Part D?

• A. Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
• B. Affordable Care Act
• C. Dodd-Frank Act
• D. Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

Answer: (A)

Part D is the Medicare prescription drug benefit. It was created by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, which added a new option for Medicare to provide prescription drug coverage. This law authorized private drug plans to offer coverage and funded the program through beneficiary premiums, plan subsidies, and federal support, with enrollment beginning in 2006. The Affordable Care Act later made reforms to drug coverage and helped close the coverage gap over time, but it did not establish Part D. The other listed laws address financial regulation or pay discrimination, not Medicare drug benefits.