Medicare Bill 66% of seniors confused about it

Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 27 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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More than two thirds of America's elderly population is confused about the new Medicare bill that was signed into law last December, this is according to a new survey.

Only a mere 15% of over 65s understand the bill well, says the Kaiser Family Foundation, the organisation that ordered the survey.

The new bill included prescription medicines coverage within Medicare. This is the US government's health care plan for America's elderly. It also increased the roles played by private health maintenance organisations and the pharmaceutical industry.

The survey indicated that about 70% of the people questioned did not know that it was a bill that was passed in Congress. They did not know that it was passed into law by President Bush either.

Drew Altman, President of Kaiser said 'The lack of understanding of the prescription drug law makes it ripe for political demagoguery on both sides as we enter the election season. The president will say he delivered a good prescription drug law and the Democratic candidate will say it's a bad law. How are seniors to judge?'

The Democrats claim that the federal government advertisements amount to a political campaign. The Democrats have asked the General Accounting Office to investigate.

The survey consisted of 1,201 adults, of which 237 were over the age of 64.

-- 48% of all adults followed the Medicare prescription debate very/somewhat closely

-- 64% of the elderly followed the Medicare prescription debate very/somewhat closely

-- 7% of all adults understood the law very well

-- 15% of the elderly understood the law very well

-- 60% of everyone did not understand it well (all adults and elderly)

-- 68% of the elderly didn't know it was passed by Congress and signed by the President

-- 23% of all adults knew it was passed by Congress and signed by the President

There is obviously a huge need for the elderly to be better informed.