SAN MATEO, Calif--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A survey of 337 retirees on Medicare revealed that 62%1 of respondents are “somewhat” or “very” confident that Medicare will be there for the rest of their lives. These results compare with a confidence level of 73% when the same question was asked of seniors in a survey conducted in October 2011, and 69% and 57% when the same question was asked in surveys conducted in August and July, respectively.
The survey was fielded from December 22-26, 2011 by Extend Health, Inc., which operates the nation’s largest private Medicare exchange. Nearly two-thirds of respondents have been retired from major U.S. corporations for 10 years or more.
Said Bryce Williams of Extend Health, Inc., “Over the past two years, we’ve been surveying seniors about their confidence in Medicare, which remained steady until last summer when confidence began to rise, peaking at 73% in last quarter’s survey. This current survey shows that nearly all of the 2011 confidence gains have been reversed. Confidence in Medicare appears to be sinking now that – given bipartisan support in Congress for controlling Medicare costs – change seems inevitable.”
Respondents also were asked how confident they are that Medicare will be there for the rest of their children's lives. Answers to this question revealed a small decrease in respondents’ confidence. In October 2011, 47% of respondents indicated they were “not confident” in Medicare being there for their children. In December, "not confident" responses rose to 50%.
Questions and detailed results from the survey are as follows:
How confident are you that Medicare will be available for the rest of your life?
|
December 2011 |
October 2011 |
|||||||||
| Very confident | 15.1% | 21.1% | ||||||||
| Somewhat confident | 44.6% | 51.7% | ||||||||
| Unsure | 28.6% | 17.7% | ||||||||
| Not confident | 11.7% | 9.5% | ||||||||
How confident are you that Medicare will be available for the rest of your children’s lives?
|
December 2011 |
October 2011 |
|||||||||
| Very confident | 2.7% | 3.0% | ||||||||
| Somewhat confident | 11.9% | 12.0% | ||||||||
| Unsure | 35.8% | 38.1% | ||||||||
| Not confident | 49.6% | 46.9% | ||||||||
Extend Health has helped hundreds of thousands of seniors compare and choose private Medicare plans. Extend Health is the only place seniors can compare thousands of plans from more than 75 carriers side by side and find plans that best meet 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.
1 For top line reporting purposes, Extend Health, Inc. rounds percentages up or down as appropriate.