The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation
Harvard School of Public Health
Press Release
June 19, 2003
New Survey Finds Most Seniors Favor Reforms that Build on Existing Medicare
Program, But Younger Adults Are More Favorable Toward Private Plans
Eighty percent of seniors have a favorable impression of Medicare and more than six in ten (62%) say the program is well-run. About seven in ten (72%) of those ages 65 and over feel seniors should continue to get their health insurance through Medicare rather than through private plans (16%), and 63% favor offering prescription drug coverage through Medicare over offering all benefits including drug coverage through private plans (23%). When it comes to their own insurance coverage, seniors are far more likely to prefer the current Medicare program over private plans (63% vs. 19%).
Younger adults 18-64 are less likely than seniors to have a favorable view of Medicare and to think that it is well-run: 45% of those under 65 say their view is favorable, 23% unfavorable, and one-third don’t know; and just over a third (36%) say it is well-run (31% say not well-run and 32% don’t know). They are generally less familiar with Medicare, with more than half (55%) of adults ages 18-64 incorrectly saying Medicare covers prescription drugs (vs. 16% of seniors) and less than three in ten (28%) knowing that people on Medicare can choose any doctor or hospital they want (vs. 73% of seniors).
A majority of the public (54%) favors a plan that provides seniors with a benefit that is as generous as what most workers get even if it costs taxpayers more, while 38% choose a less generous benefit at a lower government cost. After hearing arguments against their initial position (would you still favor if it meant giving up further tax cuts; still oppose if some seniors would not fill prescriptions because of the cost), 65% favor the more generous plan and 22% the cheaper plan.
http://www.kff.org/content/2003/20030619a/Final_Medicare_Survey_Release.pdf
Comment: You cannot have escaped the news that this latest KFF/Harvard-Blendon poll has demonstrated that most seniors prefer the traditional Medicare program, whereas younger individuals would prefer private plans. But the comments above, selected from their press release, reveal a couple of very important facts.
Younger adults express their opinions based on inadequate and even incorrect perceptions of the Medicare program. Another point is that when they are provided with merely a short phrase that improves their understanding of the policy issues, they change their opinion to one more supportive of beneficial reform.
Although seniors do have a better understanding of the Medicare program, it is still surprising to see that a small but significant minority still don’t understand that the traditional Medicare program does offer free choice of providers and that outpatient prescription drugs are not a benefit of the program.
A well-functioning democracy requires an informed electorate. With solid facts, they’ll do the right thing. We have a lot of work to do.