SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A survey of 441 seniors on Medicare fielded from June 29-July 2, 2012, showed that 46% of female respondents view the U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of the healthcare reform law as “positive,” compared with just 27% of male respondents. In addition, 40% of senior women said that the fact that the ruling upheld provisions closing the Part D prescription drug coverage gap, known as the “donut hole,” influenced how they felt about the ruling, compared to just 26% of senior men who felt similarly.
The survey was fielded by Extend Health, operator of the nation’s largest private Medicare exchange. The company has been surveying seniors on their attitudes about retirement, healthcare and Medicare since December 2009. Extend Health is a Towers Watson company.
Under the healthcare reform law, individuals who fall into the donut hole receive a 50% discount on the cost of brand-name prescription drugs, with that discount increasing in future years until it reaches 75% in 2020. If the Supreme Court had ruled the law unconstitutional, that provision would have been overturned.
Said Bryce Williams, Managing Director of Extend Health, “The healthcare reform law is a divisive issue for many Americans, but seniors on Medicare apparently line up along gender lines. Based on comments made by our survey respondents, the reason for the different views of women versus men is based in part on women’s experience as caregivers to multiple generations: their children, their parents and their spouses. Perhaps this accounts for the difference in how women view the healthcare reform law and its goal of insuring more Americans.”
Questions and detailed results from the survey are as follows:
On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, with some clarifications. All of the provisions of the law that affect Medicare remain unchanged.
What do you think about the Supreme Court ruling overall?
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Men |
Women |
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| I think it is positive | 27.3% | 46.1% | ||
| I think it is negative | 61.7% | 38.3% | ||
| I don’t have an opinion | 11.0% | 15.7% | ||
Under the Affordable Care Act, individuals who fall into the Part D coverage gap (“donut hole”) receive a 50% discount on the cost of brand-name prescription drugs, with that discount increasing in future years until it reaches 75% in 2020. If the Supreme Court had ruled the law unconstitutional, that provision would have been overturned.
How does the fact that the Part D coverage gap provision was upheld influence how you feel about the ruling?
|
Men |
Women |
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| I feel more positive | 25.7% | 39.7% | ||
| I feel more negative | 19.9% | 17.2% | ||
| It makes no difference | 54.4% | 43.1% | ||
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
Founded in 2004, Extend Health operates the largest private Medicare exchange in the country. Extend Health is a Towers Watson company. 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.