94% of seniors satisfied w/Medicare coverage; 48% don't trust Obama

August 18, 2009 (Boston, MA and Burlington, MA) – Seniors in the U.S. are overwhelmingly satisfied with their current Medicare coverage, according to a survey released today by Silverlink Communications and Suffolk University in Boston. Of the more than 2,600 Medicare beneficiaries surveyed, more than 94% indicate that they are satisfied with their coverage, with just 6% expressing dissatisfaction. These same Seniors express a fair amount of optimism that their health plan benefits will stay the same (55%) or improve (12%) in 2010 – with only one-third thinking that their health plan benefits will get worse next year. As a result, many (85%) are not currently considering switching health plans this year.


“Judging from the reaction from the recent healthcare Town Hall meetings, we expect a very vocal Medicare population in October when the 11 million beneficiaries on Medicare Advantage start getting information on how their benefits and premiums will change in 2010,” said Donna Burtanger, Senior Director of Medicare Solutions, at Silverlink Communications. “Our work with Medicare plans confirms that significant changes to rates and plan structure are in store for many beneficiaries, stemming from the well-publicized federal reduction in reimbursements to Medicare plans earlier this year. Based on our research, it is clear that most Medicare beneficiaries don’t expect the changes that are coming for the 2010 plan year. Many may even be blindsided by what they see,” she added.

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The survey also polled Medicare recipients on healthcare reform. Despite high levels of satisfaction and relatively strong amounts of optimism, nearly half of Medicare recipients polled (48%) say they do not believe the Obama administration is looking out for their best interests when it comes to healthcare reform. The remaining are split, with 28% believing the administration is looking out for them and 24% unsure.

David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, commented: “There’s an interesting split in those trusting the current reform efforts and those who are uncertain or doubtful of these efforts. We see that wealthier and more educated Medicare recipients tend to be less optimistic about their interests being considered in the reform process, while those in the Northeast are more positive than other regions on healthcare reform.”

more at link: http://www.suffolk.edu/research/37139.html


Looks like Obama needs to concentrate on getting the facts about health reform out to those seniors. All they are hearing is "Medicare cuts..." It almost seems like the only people they polled are people on Medicare Advantage. I thought there was only one Medicare?

Most of these seniors who oppose health care reform have been brain washed by their tv sets.

Just don't touch their Medicare or they will bite your head off.

You can't rationalize with them. Once they hear something, they believe it until the day they die.

It's actually sad how easy their minds are fooled into buying bullshit. Mind you, not all elderly are like this, but this poll shows just how many are easily duped.

Why do you think scam artists prey on them the most? Because they almost always fall for scams. It's sad, really.

and whatnot. Also, I hate to say this but some seniors are acting selfish. "I have what is mine but you don't get yours and you better not damn touch what is mine." What happened to some of these people in the Greatest Generation? They were supposed to be all about sacrifice. These people went through WWII and the Depression. What happened to them or is it just old age?

he is so worried that they won't have enough to eat... not even close, but that is ok.

But my mom has a hard time splaining to him at times why they are doing fine, hell much better than others.

It is truly a common problem among older people, and not just in the US.

what you typed is really what you believe.

I don't look forward to it and hell, here's to me being one of those elderly who actually get it.

or stupid, according to the poll. There's a 50-50 chance you won't be.

and or/selfish. But that is an awful lot of seniors!

99.999% of people are selfish in one way or another. This fact of life is not detrimental, it is just how all life forms survive on earth

It is rapidly being privatized.

by Andrew Kohut, President, Pew Research Center
August 19, 2009

Many Americans are balking again at the prospect of health care reform. This is surprising in light of how much priority the public gave health care as an issue during the presidential campaign, and how critical it was of President Bush's failure to act on this issue. But after a few months of hearing about it, a number of recent polls find the public divided over the health care proposals being considered on Capitol Hill.

A late July Pew Research survey found more opposition than support for the health care proposals before Congress. Recent Gallup and NBC/WSJ surveys show the public about evenly split over these proposals. And a CNN poll found a slight plurality favoring "Barack Obama's" plan to reform health care. As the contentious town hall meetings bear out, the opponents of health care reform and those who are following the issue most closely hold more intense feelings than do backers and those who are less engaged.

The current highly-divided climate of opinion about changing the health care system raises the question: If Medicare was being debated today would it be getting the same frosty reception that we are seeing now -- and that we saw for health care reform in the Clinton years? To my mind, the answer is yes. Much of the opposition to health care reform today is being fueled by anti-government sentiment that did not exist during the mid-1960's.

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One of the ironies in all of this is that the strongest critics of health care reform, and those most worried about government involvement in health care, are seniors, who are satisfied with their Medicare-provided health care.

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1317/would-americans-welcome-medicare-if-proposed-in-2009

And the people on the front lines protesting it would be the 65+ and older crowd.

But now if we were to end medicare entirely (can't have a government run healthcare program), it's the same group who'd be taking the streets.

Old people are extremely selfish. I believe they fell they've lived so long on this planet, they can get away with whatever they want, screw everyone else. I've actually heard old people say they don't care about other people receiving healthcare, but they deserve it solely out of longevity.

Broad distrust of government -- which was not evident in the 1960s -- is an important reason why Americans are reacting so differently to health care reform in 2009 than they did in 1965. In 1966, the National Election survey found, as in four previous surveys starting in 1958, a large majority (65%) saying they trusted the government in Washington to do the right thing just about always or most of the time. That majority held through the rest of the decade but withered in the early 1970s. By 1974, just 36% of the public said they trusted the government. And from that point on, pollsters have never again found anything close to a majority of Americans saying they trust Washington

50 years of propaganda (and far too many Republican presidents) have succeeded in convincing Americans government can't do anything right.

Reality is government does SS and Medicare EXTREMELY well.

I am a retired military person,I would gladly pay a higher tax rate to help the poor.We are so damn selfish in mega rich America,we should all be ashamed the way we treat the poor.

Age isn't the reason. Stupid is.

or the worries of old age.

I hate to say it, but partially this is about race... and the dramatic changes we are seeing. I mean this is not just a lib'rul in the WH, but a ------ one here. So that is adding to a lot of the anxiety.

Remember folks, Obama got the majority of voters, except those over 65. It does not take a brain surgeon to figure some of it.

I think there's a lot of truth in what you just said. They probably don't like anything he proposes just because he proposed it.

That's the exact summation of that poll.

Dumbest Americans ever?

and his death panels

Not only do most old people not understand the storm headed their way - neither do the people here.

Medicare is no longer a decent single payer program - it is now a combination public/private program. Medicare benefits are going down (while the cost for everyone over 65 that they MUST contribute to the government Medicare fund each month is going up) and the cost of supplemental insurance from private insurance providers they must purchase in order not to face bankruptcy, just like younger people, for the newly lost benefits and for all the other procedures and care not covered by medicare is jumping dramatically.

This process is known as the Privatization of Medicare. Most folks (not on Medicare) are not aware of these dramatic changes and according to this article most seniors are also not aware they are about to be hit by a train. The soon to hit 65 baby boomers that start coming of age in 2010 will be shocked to find out that they were be paying nearly as much for their health coverage when they get on Medicare as they are paying now.

Example - Right now I am paying $349 a month for BCBS policy with a a $2500 a year deductible. When I turn 65 later this year and go on Medicare I will be paying $288 a month. The first $103 goes to the Medicare fund (Part B) and the remainder to private insurers. I have been paying into the Medicare fund (the Part A) since 1966 but it turns out it really doesn't cover much. So its off to the private insurer (BCBS) for the real insurance coverage. BTW - that $288 is for the first year only. In one year when I turn 66 it jumps to at least $330 - right back up to the pre-Medicare private insurance costs. It will jump each year after that - both the private insurance company costs and the amount I have to pay to the government each month for Part B Medicare.

The result of these increased insurance costs is that early boomers will not quit work because they can't afford to. This at a time when they really need to be retiring in high numbers because of the high unemployment rates.

You are the only one who actually knows what is going on with Medicare and the supplements. Everyone else seems to think that Medicare is some sort of free ride that seniors are reaping on the behalf of the younger generation's contributions.

In my opinion it is the most disgusting propaganda/lie ever used by a Democrat in a national campaign. Clearly, the lies stuck past the campaign.

The article in the OP used proper grammar and punctuation. It objectively presented the findings of a survey on Medicare with ample information on methodology. The author opined on recipients being unaware of changes to Medicare Advantage that will reduce their subsidies and increase premiums; pretty much the same beef you're making. But it seems to me you are conflating the issues of MediGap and MediCare coverage.

I'm aware of two major ingredients that lead to increasing privatization of Medicare: 1) Prescription coverage in the new Part D; and 2) the introduction of Medicare Advantage (MA), both the brainchildren of Bush and the Republicans.

Part D represents a new entitlement. Despite its wasteful privatization aspect, it is a new entitlement - the first time drugs are covered under Medicare. Obama has negotiated a 50% closing of the donut hole, so that should lower costs for some seniors.

MA subsidizes private insurance companies so they can compete with Medicare. Democrats plan to decrease the subsidy so that would cause the premiums of 11 million recipents to increase. But that savings goes back to Medicare and decreases privatization.

You say your monthly premium for Medicare is $103 and you complain about the increases to MediGap. Millions of Americans who can't afford any insurance would love to pay just $103/month for some basic coverage. Ever since the beginning of Medicare, MediGap has been necessary to augment Medicare. Health care costs across the board have been skyrocketing lately so it should be no surprise that MediGap rates go up, too. Anything we can do to slow down runaway rates is a good thing.

While many of us may not be experts at Medicare, we are all well aware that a storm is on its way. Hell, it been storming for quite some time already. Medicare is not perfect, we all know, but Medicare For All is one of the best ideas out there that can save us from utter destruction.

Pull the plug on Grand Ma

That is absolutely pathetic. it's so stupid that these people revel in their medicare coverage, and then whine about government run healthcare. These people need to stop listening to Fox News! It's making them mentally unstable.

??

voting for him as a "trusting him". 51% of adults 60 and older voted for McCain.

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/exit-polls.html