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Minnesota Poll Confirms Seniors Need Medicare Drug
Plan Information
National poll also shows seniors taking a
'wait-and-see' approach
Sept. 30, 2005 A poll of senior citizens in
Minnesota shows that one in four of those 65 years and older has enough
information to even make a decision on the new Medicare prescription
drug program. That is only slightly fewer than in the Kaiser Health
Poll, a national poll released a month ago. The Kaiser poll suggested 33
percent have adequate information about the program that begins January
1.
These Minnesota findings are from a new survey
sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
The survey found that while 74 percent of the
Minnesotans aged 65 and older who participated in the survey had heard
about the new Medicare Part D program, only 24 percent felt they had
enough information to make a decision. And of those with enough
information, only 12 percent intended to enroll in one of the Part D
prescription drug plans.
"A lack of information may be making it difficult
for people to evaluate what this new prescription drug insurance program
might mean for them," said Deborah Madson, vice president of government
programs for Blue Cross. "The need for prescription drug coverage is
clear, so it is incumbent upon all of us to make certain that the right
information about Part D is available where and when people need it."
According to the survey, nearly one in four
Minnesotans aged 65 and older is spending more than $100 a month in out
of pocket prescription drug costs and 41 percent of those aged 65 and
older are nervous that they will be unable to afford medications in five
years.
However, coverage under Medicare Part D is not
automatic. People eligible for Medicare will be able to enroll in Part D
prescription drug plans offered by private insurers and others beginning
Nov. 15 with coverage beginning Jan. 1. Although health plans and others
have been able to provide general information about the largest
expansion of Medicare benefits in the federal health program's 40-year
history, specific benefits and premium costs cannot be made available
until Oct. 1.
Even as more details on the specific Part D
prescription drug plans become available, there will be hurdles to
encouraging seniors and others eligible for Medicare to enroll. For
example, more than half of the respondents aged 65 and older (54
percent) said the new coverage sounds like another complex government
program.
The relatively low interest in the Medicare drug
insurance program comes at a time when only 58 percent of Minnesotans
aged 65 and older say they currently have prescription drug coverage.
While prescription drug coverage among older Minnesotans with Medicare
Supplement coverage is high by national standards, it still leaves many
without coverage as pharmaceutical costs continue to rise.
So far, though, few of these Minnesota seniors are
looking at Canada as a solution to high drug costs. Only 5 percent of
survey participants aged 65 and older have purchased prescription drugs
from Canada. Of the remaining 95 percent, only 22 percent said they had
even considered purchasing medications in Canada.
The survey also looked at broader issues of health
costs and coverage, comparing attitudes of those aged 65 and older with
Minnesotans in their prime working years (40-59) and those in the
traditional pre-retirement years (60-64).
Among the other findings are the following:
-- Minnesotans who
answered the survey question indicated satisfaction
with their
health coverage.
- Among 40-59 year
olds, 70 percent of those with private health
insurance
(through an employer or an individual policy) are
satisfied.
- Among 60-64 year
olds, 72 percent are satisfied with their private
health
insurance.
- Among those 65 and
older, 80 percent are satisfied with their
Medicare, the
dominant form of health coverage for this age group.
-- Most are confident
that their current health care expenses will be
covered by
health insurance, but they think that in the future they
may not
receive the best treatment for a medical condition because
they would not
be able to afford to pay the portion of the charges not
taken care of
by their insurance and/or Medicare.
- Among 40-59 year
olds, 64 percent are confident about today's
costs being
covered, but 55 percent think that in the future they
may not
receive the best treatment for a medical condition because
they would not
be able to afford to pay the portion of the charges
not taken care
of by their insurance and/or Medicare
- Among 60-64 year
olds, 60 percent are confident about covering
current costs,
but 47 percent think that in the future they may
not receive
the best treatment for a medical condition because
they would not
be able to afford to pay the portion of the charges
not taken care
of by their insurance and/or Medicare
- Among those 65 and
older, 76 percent are confident about covering
current costs,
but 35 percent think that in the future they may
not receive
the best treatment for a medical condition because
they could not
afford to pay the portion of the charges not taken
care of by their insurance and/or
Medicare
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Kaiser Health Poll - August 2005 |
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"Minnesotans are taking a wait-and-see approach to
the prescription drug plans, but the data show that the need for this
insurance coverage clearly exists. The good news is that the survey
participants generally are satisfied with the health coverage they have.
Now they have the opportunity to see how the new Medicare Part D can
help with one of the fastest rising costs of care -- prescription
drugs," said Madson.
About the Survey
The survey was conducted by Decisions Resources
Ltd., an independent Minnesota-based research firm. Telephone interviews
were conducted in August and September among Minnesotans in three age
groups -- 65 and older, 60 to 64, and 40 to 59 year olds who had at
least one parent living and/or were the primary caregiver for a person
aged 65 and older. In each case, the interviewer asked to speak to the
person primarily responsible for making health care decisions.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with
headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as
Minnesota's first health plan and continues to carry out its charter
mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely
availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. A
not-for-profit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health
plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.6 million members in Minnesota and
nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its
affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an
independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association,
headquartered in Chicago. Go to
http://www.bluecrossmn.com/ to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Minnesota.
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