|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Senior Citizen Politics
Less Than Half of Boomers-Seniors Think Medicare
Drug Program is Good for Older Americans, says AARP Poll
Those 61 and older
more negative than baby boomers
 October
30, 2006 Senior citizens may not be as favorably impressed with
Medicare's prescription drug program as many have assumed. A new poll
by AARP shows only 46% of Americans age 61 and older think Medicares
prescription drug plan will be a good thing for older Americans who have
difficulty paying for their prescriptions. Interestingly, these older
people are less likely than baby boomers, not yet eligible to
participate,
to give
it a favorable rating.
What makes this AARP question all the more
interesting is the addition to the questions of the phrase, "
who have
difficulty paying for their prescriptions." It would be assumed that
phrasing the question with this modifier that seems to single out the
seniors with the low incomes would get a more positive response.
| |
Related Stories |
|
| |
Pharmaceuticals Pour Millions into GOP
Races to Avoid Negotiating Prices with Medicare
Democrats promising negotiated drug prices in
Medicare like VA
October
25, 2006 It is not talked about much in the Congressional campaigns
but an issue that is having a major impact on the cash contributions in
key races is the question of allowing Medicare to negotiate better
prices on drugs with the pharmaceutical companies, as is done by the
Veterans Administration.
Read more...
Congressional
Candidates Not Supporting Social Security Private Accounts
AARP says in 45
Congressional races most candidates oppose idea
 October 24, 2006 President Bush's plan for
private accounts as part of the Social Security program is a dead issue,
if a recent survey of 45 heated Congressional races is an indicator. It
found only one candidate out of 20 in
10 of the closest Senate races indicated support. It was even worse in
35 of the top House races where only two candidates voiced support for
private accounts. An earlier election poll by AARP found 72 percent of
older American voters also oppose the idea.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Issues Getting Top Billing in
Democratic Campaigns
AARP wants lower drug prices, Canada
drug imports,
Social Security reform
October 10, 2006 The "hot" issues in this
November election appear to include several that are critical to senior
citizens. A review of campaign activities by KaiserNet.org finds
Democrats pushing for lower drug prices in Medicare through direct price
negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, funding for stem cell
research and greater access to healthcare. AARP says it wants lower drug
prices through pressure on drug companies, legal reimportation of drugs
from Canada and a bipartisan commission to study Social Security reform.
Read more...
Read more
on
Politics for Senior Citizens |
|
Still, even adding in the more positive responses
by the baby boomers the survey found less than half thinking the
Medicare Part D is a good thing for these Americans "having difficulty
paying for prescription drugs."
Twenty-six percent of those in this survey age 42
and older think the program is bad for older Americans.
The spin put on the results in the news release
from AARP's latest "Election Watch" poll, said, "
almost twice as many
respondents (48 percent) consider Medicare Part D to be a good thing for
Americans having difficulty paying for prescription drugs."
AARP strongly backed the drug program when it was
being considered by Congress and has become one of the largest brokers
of drug plans to senior citizens.
As the upcoming mid-term elections draw near, AARP
says it wanted to take the pulse of the public's opinion on issues that
its members have indicated they want to hear about in the national and
state political debate. AARP also wanted to determine how much attention
people are paying to the elections and what they consider when making
their voting decisions.
The poll on the Medicare prescription drug program
is the eighth in a series of nine election polls to be released by AARP.
It surveying nearly 1,000 likely voters age 42 and above, which it calls
"boomer-plus respondents."
AARP Director of Government Relations David Sloane
explains, "Millions in Medicare have been saving with their new Part D
plans leaving an overall favorable impression of the program.
Improvements still need to be made to bring down costs and to get more
limited income people the added assistance they need.
"As enrollment for 2007 begins in November, AARP
will continue to provide information to our members so they can find a
plan that is best for them."
AARP says, "There are very little differences of
opinion about the Medicare prescription drug plan among the different
age groups. Younger boomers (51 percent ages 42-50) are just as likely
as older boomers (52 percent ages 51-60) and respondents 61-plus (46
percent) to think Medicare's prescription drug plan will be a good thing
for older Americans who have difficulty paying for their prescriptions."
Across all age groups less than three in 10
respondents think Medicare's prescription drug plan will be bad for
older Americans, but again, the oldest age group in the poll, those 61
and over, where the most likely to think it is bad. The negative answers
by age group were 24% ages 42-50, 26% ages 51-60, and 28% ages 61-plus.
A full one-quarter of all respondents (25%) say
they dont know what to think about the plan.
Half of all respondents (50%) report they have
read, seen, or heard a great deal (27%) or a fair amount (23%) about
Medicares prescription drug plan. One fifth of all respondents (20%)
report they have read, seen, or heard some (21%) or very little (20%)
about the plan.
AARP's "Election Watch" found strong interest in
the mid- term election among the nation's most active voters.
Approximately nine in 10 respondents (88 percent) said they are
interested in the upcoming elections.
Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) are very interested
and one-quarter are somewhat interested (25 percent). Respondents ages
51 and older are more likely to say they are very interested in the
upcoming election than younger respondents (55 percent ages 42-50, 67
percent ages 51-60, and 64 percent ages 61-plus).
The final AARP "Election Watch Pulse of a
Generation" poll, to be released next week, looks at government spending
and fiscal responsibility as a voting concern. Full copies of this and
other AARP polls can be accessed at
http://www.aarp.org/research/legis-polit/elections and then by
clicking "AARP Election Watch 2006: Pulse of a Generation."
AARP says it is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
membership organization that helps people 50-plus have independence,
choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them
and society as a whole. It produces AARP The Magazine, published
bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, a monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud,
its bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, its
quarterly newsletter for 50-plus educators; and its Web site,
http://www.aarp.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that
provides security, protection and empowerment to older persons in need
with support from thousands of volunteers, donors and sponsors. AARP has
staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,
and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
