Respondents more convinced that Medicare will be there for the rest of their lives – despite their belief that cuts to Medicare are coming
SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A survey of 374 seniors 65 and older covered by Medicare – fielded 15 days after Congress voted to raise the debt ceiling – revealed that 69%1 of respondents are “somewhat” or “very” confident that Medicare will be there for the rest of their lives. This compares with a confidence level of 57% when the same question was asked in a survey a month earlier at the height of heated debates on whether Medicare should be cut to reduce the national debt. This 12-point rise in confidence in August represents a 22% increase over confidence levels in July.
The current survey was fielded from August 17-22, 2011 by Extend Health, Inc., which operates the nation’s largest private Medicare exchange. Prior to the August survey, respondents’ levels of confidence in Medicare had remained statistically unchanged since Extend Health began conducting Medicare confidence surveys in December 20092. The previous most recent survey was fielded from July 22-27, 2011. Results from November 2010 through August 2011 are shown in the chart that accompanies this news release.
In addition to revealing a sharp jump in confidence in Medicare, the August survey also showed that 97% of respondents believe that the Medicare eligible age will be raised; 96% that basic Medicare co-pays and deductibles will increase; 93% that holders of private Medicare supplemental plans will have to pay more out of pocket for routine health care; 91% that seniors on Medicare will have to pay more for prescription drugs; and 84% that payments to Medicare providers will be cut.
The question on Medicare confidence and detailed results from the two most recent surveys are as follows:
How confident are you that Medicare will be available for the rest of your life?
|
August 2011 |
July 2011 |
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| Very confident | 19.8% | 15.0% | ||||||||
| Somewhat confident | 49.6% | 41.7% | ||||||||
| Unsure | 24.9% | 29.9% | ||||||||
| Not confident | 5.7% | 13.4% | ||||||||
Questions and detailed results on proposed cuts to Medicare from the August survey are as follows:
We’re interested in your opinion about what might happen to Medicare during upcoming Congressional debates on reducing the U.S. national debt. How likely do you think it is that:
|
Very Likely |
Somewhat Likely |
|||||||||
| The age at which people | 70.8% | 25.9% | ||||||||
| become eligible for Medicare | ||||||||||
| will be increased? | ||||||||||
| Co-pays and deductibles for basic | 65.1% | 30.4% | ||||||||
| Medicare will be increased? | ||||||||||
| Holders of private Medicare | 65.6% | 27.6% | ||||||||
| supplement plans (Medigap) | ||||||||||
| will have to pay more out of | ||||||||||
| pocket for routine medical care? | ||||||||||
| Seniors on Medicare will have to | 56.8% | 34.1% | ||||||||
| pay more for prescription drugs? | ||||||||||
| Payments to Medicare medical | 47.5% | 36.2% | ||||||||
| providers (physicians and hospitals, | ||||||||||
| for example) payments will be cut? | ||||||||||
Extend Health has helped more than 350,000 seniors compare and choose the private Medicare plans that meets their needs and budgets. Extend Health is the only place seniors can compare more than 3,500 plans from more than 70 carriers side by side and find a plan that best meets their needs. Licensed benefit advisors are available to help seniors evaluate their Medicare coverage and explore new options quickly and easily.
About Extend Health:
Extend Health, Inc., founded in 2004, operates the largest private Medicare exchange in the country. For more information, visit Extend Health on the web at http://www.extendhealth.com.
Extend Health is a registered trademark of Extend Health, Inc. Other names may be trademarks or servicemarks of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
1 For top line reporting purposes, Extend Health, Inc. rounds percentages up or down as appropriate.
2 Detailed previous survey results are available in press releases on the Extend Health website and in the Extend Health Medicare Conference Report for 2010, available as a PDF download at http://www.extendhealth.com/.
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CONTACT:
For Extend Health, Inc.
Rob Wyse, 212-920-1470
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America California
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Seniors Health Hospitals Professional Services Insurance Consumer General Health
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