The HHS OIG has released a report entitled "Effect of the Part D Coverage Gap on Medicare Beneficiaries Without Financial Assistance in 2006." The OIG found that 7% of Part D beneficiaries entered the coverage gap and did not receive financial assistance with prescription drug costs in 2006.  During the coverage gap, 69% of beneficiaries decreased the average number of drugs they purchased, which could have resulted from beneficiaries trying to reduce their financial burden during the coverage gap, or from appropriate reductions due to changes in beneficiaries’ health status.  The greater the average number of drugs per month that beneficiaries purchased before entering the coverage gap, the more they reduced the average number of drugs per month that they purchased during the coverage gap. The OIG recommends that CMS support outreach and education activities targeted at beneficiaries who make more prescription drug purchases before entering the coverage gap.