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Low-Income Senior Citizens Say No Problems Using
Medicare Drug Benefit
Survey for insurers says the drug plans are serving
the poorest seniors well
March 13, 2006 - Nine out of 10 seniors who are
dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid the "dual eligibles" - say
they have experienced no problems using the new Medicare drug benefit, a
new survey released today by the association for the insurers has found.
Often referred to as "dual eligibles," these
seniors previously received drug coverage through Medicaid and are now
enrolled in a Medicare prescription drug plan.
The survey found that four percent of dual
eligibles reported having a problem related to using their benefit that
has been resolved, while four percent say they have an unresolved
problem.
"This is the most vulnerable population of seniors
and our members are hard at work with CMS to resolve any remaining
challenges that they are experiencing," said Karen Ignagni, President
and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).
Conducted by Ayres, McHenry & Associates on behalf
of AHIP, the survey also shows that 80 percent of dual eligibles say the
Medicare drug benefit covers the drugs they need.
The poll also found that dual eligibles are
skeptical about the motives behind attacks on the Medicare drug benefit
and concerned that these attacks may discourage seniors from enrolling.
Thirty-five percent say that politicians' criticisms of the Medicare
drug plan are motivated by a desire to score political points, versus 14
percent who say these criticisms are motivated by a sincere interest in
fixing the program. One-third say political attacks make seniors less
likely to sign up for the program.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS), dual eligibles are individuals who are entitled to
Medicare Part A and/or Part B and are eligible for some form of Medicaid
benefit.
When the new Medicare prescription drug benefit
went into effect on January 1, 2006, responsibility for dual eligibles'
prescription drug coverage shifted from the states to the federal
government. More than six million dual eligibles have transitioned from
Medicaid drug coverage to new Medicare drug plans.
Summary of findings:
Self-Enrolled Seniors
● Three-fifths of seniors say they are saving
money with the new benefit compared to their previous costs. Fifty-nine
percent of seniors say they are saving money, while 23 percent say they
are not and 18 percent are unsure.
● Nine out of ten self-enrolled seniors take a
prescription drug on a regular basis, and four out of five of these
seniors say the drugs they need are covered. Ninety percent of
self-enrolled seniors say they regularly take a prescription drug,
including 22 percent who take four or five drugs a month and 25 percent
who take more than five drugs a month. Among those who regularly take a
prescription drug, 79 percent say the plan covers the drugs they need,
12 percent say it does not, and 9 percent are unsure.
● More than four-fifths of self-enrolled seniors
had no problems with signing up for the plan, with a similar number
saying they have had no problems using the plan. Eighty-four percent of
these seniors say they had no problems signing up for the plan, while 11
percent had a problem that has been resolved and 5 percent have had a
problem that has not been resolved. Eighty-five percent have had no
problems using the plan, while 2 percent had a problem that has been
resolved and 5 percent have had a problem that has not been resolved.
Overall, just 3 percent have had a problem both signing up and using the
plan.
● Two-thirds of self-enrolled seniors say the
benefits are worth the time and effort they put into evaluating the
many drug plans. Self-enrolled seniors say the time and effort was
worth it by a 66 to 13 percent margin, up from a 57 to 16 percent margin
in December before the benefit started.
● Similarly, two-thirds say they would recommend
that other seniors sign up for the benefit. Self-enrolled seniors would
recommend that other seniors sign up by a 65 to 8 percent margin (18
percent say it depends on the circumstances), up from a 56 to 9 percent
margin in December.
● A third of seniors used the Internet to decide
on a benefit plan and a fifth attended a seminar. Thirty-two percent
used the Internet to decide on a plan (16 percent by themselves and 16
percent with help from someone else), up slightly from 28 percent in
December. Eighteen percent say they attended a seminar, down from 25
percent in December.
● Pluralities of self-enrolled seniors say they
think that politicians who criticize the new benefit are doing so to
score political points, and that the criticism makes other seniors less
likely to sign up. Forty-six percent of self-enrolled seniors say they
think politicians who criticize the plan are doing so to score political
points, while 14 percent say they think these politicians are sincerely
trying to fix the plan and 40 percent are undecided. When asked if they
think that criticism makes other seniors less likely to sign up for the
plan, 41 percent say it does make other seniors less likely to sign up,
24 percent say the criticism has no effect, and 35 percent are unsure.
Automatically-Enrolled (Dual-Eligible) Seniors
● More than four out of five
automatically-enrolled seniors say they regularly take a prescription
drug, and four out of five of them say the plan covers the drugs they
need. Eighty-three percent of automatically-enrolled seniors say they
regularly take a prescription drug, including 17 percent who take four
or five prescriptions a month and 35 percent who take more than five
prescription drugs a month. Among these seniors who regularly take a
prescription drug, 80 percent say their plan covers the drugs they need,
while 15 percent say the plan does not and 4 percent are unsure.
● Nine out of ten automatically-enrolled seniors
say they have had no problems using the new prescription drug benefit.
Ninety percent of these seniors report no problem using the new benefit,
while 4 percent say they have had a problem that has been resolved, and
4 percent say they have had a problem that has not been resolved.
● Automatically-enrolled seniors say politicians
who criticize the new benefit are doing so to score political points by
a two-to-one margin, with a bare majority undecided. Thirty-five
percent of automatically-enrolled seniors say they think politicians who
criticize the plan are doing so to score political points, while 14
percent say they think these politicians are sincerely trying to fix the
plan and 51 percent are undecided. When asked if they think that
criticism makes other seniors less likely to sign up for the plan, 32
percent say it does make other seniors less likely to sign up, 23
percent say the criticism has no effect, and 45 percent are unsure.
The survey of 401 seniors who were automatically
enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit was conducted March 6-11, 2006 and
has a margin of error of plus- or-minus 4.89 percent.
Methodology for
Self-Enrolled Seniors
The survey of 408
self-enrolled seniors was conducted March 6-9, 2006. Respondents were
selected randomly from a listed sample targeting households with members
65 and older. All respondents confirmed that they are at least 65 years
of age, are enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit
plan, and that they signed up for the plan themselves. The margin of
error for responses with an even split 50 percent for one response and
50 percent for another response is plus or minus 4.85 percent. The
margin of error is smaller when one response receives a higher level of
support. For example, the margin of error is plus or minus 4.20 percent
when 75 percent of respondents choose one response and 25 percent choose
another response.
Methodology for
Automatically Enrolled Seniors
The survey of 401
self-enrolled seniors was conducted March 6-11, 2006. Respondents were
selected randomly from a listed sample targeting households with members
65 and older. All respondents confirmed that they are at least 65 years
of age, are enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit
plan, and that they were automatically enrolled through Medicaid. Also,
potential respondents reporting annual incomes higher than $30,000 were
excluded from the sample. The margin of error for responses with an
even split 50 percent for one response and 50 percent for another
response is plus or minus 4.89 percent. The margin of error is
smaller when one response receives a higher level of support. For
example, the margin of error is plus or minus 4.24 percent when 75
percent of respondents choose one response and 25 percent choose another
response.
To view the full
survey visit http://www.ahip.org/.
Source: America's
Health Insurance Plans
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