About
half of seniors likely to enroll
in Medicare Drug Benefit,
up significantly since June 2005, but key challenges for
enrollment remain...Forty-one
percent of seniors say they are not very or not at all
confident that they would be able to choose a drug plan
that’s right for them
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Nov. 16, 2005 – A new Wall
Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll
shows that about half (49%) of U.S. adults aged 65 and older
say they are somewhat likely, very likely or absolutely
certain to enroll in a new Medicare drug plan by May 2006,
when the initial enrollment period for the new benefit ends.
This represents a substantial increase from June 2005 when
32% said they would be somewhat likely, very likely or
absolutely certain to enroll. While this increase is
encouraging news for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid
Services, problems still exist regarding seniors’
perceptions of the complexity of the drug plan and their
confidence in being able to choose a plan that is right for
them.
Below are the
results of the online survey of 2,160 U.S. adults, of whom
290 are aged 65 or over, conducted by Harris Interactive®
between Oct. 26 and 28, 2005 for The Wall Street Journal
Online’s Health Industry Edition.
Steps seniors
are taking and factors that are important to them
More than
three in five (62%) seniors have seen or heard an ad for the
new Medicare drug benefit and substantial numbers have taken
proactive steps to look for information about the plan.
More than half (53%) of
seniors say they have looked for general information
about the Medicare drug benefit.
Fewer seniors, although
still substantial numbers, have looked at information
from an insurer or health plan that will be offering a
Medicare drug plan (45%), talked to a family member or
friend about it (35%) or compared the different Medicare
drug plan offerings (22%).
Less than one in 10
seniors have talked to their pharmacist about the
benefit (9%), attended an information session or seminar
about it (6%) or talked to their doctor about it (4%).
When
considering the different options that might be available to
them when choosing a Medicare prescription drug plan, the
majority of seniors say the most important factor for them
personally is related to their out-of-pocket costs. Two in
five (40%) seniors say the most important factor for them is
the cost of the co-pays and deductibles they would pay for
prescription drugs and about one-third (32%) say the most
important factor is the cost of the monthly premium they
would pay. Other factors seen as most important by seniors
include the choice of prescription drugs that are covered by
the plan (18%), the network of pharmacies that they could
use to fill their prescription (3%) or something else (8%).
Challenges
remain
While there
has been an increase in the number of seniors likely to
enroll and many have taken proactive steps to look for
information on the Medicare prescription drug plan, several
challenges still remain.
The majority of seniors
remain skeptical or uncertain about the impact of the
Medicare prescription drug plan on affordability of
prescription drugs. While 21% of seniors say the plan
will make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors
over the next two to three years, a similar 22% say it
will make prescription drugs less affordable and 27% say
it will make them neither less nor more affordable.
Additionally, almost one-third (29%) of seniors are not
sure of the impact the plan will have, an increase of 15
percentage points from June 2004.
The majority of seniors
say they find the new Medicare prescription drug benefit
either somewhat (33%) or very (38%) hard to understand,
while much smaller percentages say it’s somewhat (6%) or
very (2%) easy to understand.
While 39% of seniors say
they are somewhat or very confident that they will be
able to choose a drug plan that’s right for them
(compared to 46% in June 2005), a similar 41% say they
are not very or not at all confident that they will be
able to do this. More than one-third (35%) say they
already have prescription drug coverage so they are not
in need of a new plan.
TABLE 1
“In
general, do you believe the new Medicare prescription drug
benefit will make prescription drugs less affordable, more
affordable or neither less nor more affordable for seniors
over the next 2 to 3 years?”
Base: All Adults
|
|
Total
|
Adults aged 65+
|
|
|
Oct.
2005 |
June 2004*
|
Oct.
2005
|
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
Less affordable |
21 |
23 |
22 |
|
Neither less nor more affordable |
25 |
47 |
27 |
|
More affordable |
18 |
15 |
21 |
|
Not sure |
35 |
14 |
29 |
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to
100% due to rounding.
* Data from the Harris Interactive Strategic
Health Perspectives Survey conducted in June 2004.
TABLE 2
UNDERSTANDING THE MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG
BENEFIT
“Overall, do you find the new Medicare
prescription drug benefit is…?”
Base: Adults aged 65 and older
|
|
June 2004*
|
Oct.
2005
|
|
|
% |
% |
|
Very hard to understand |
42 |
38 |
|
Somewhat hard to understand |
36 |
33 |
|
Neither hard nor easy to understand |
17 |
21 |
|
Somewhat easy to understand |
4 |
6 |
|
Very easy to understand |
1 |
2 |
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to
100% due to rounding.
* Data from the Harris Interactive Strategic
Health Perspectives Survey conducted in June 2004.
TABLE 3
“The new Medicare drug benefit will be
available to seniors beginning in January 2006. Have you
personally seen or done any of the following in the past 3
months?”
Base: Adults aged 65 and older
|
|
Oct. 2005
|
|
|
% |
|
Seen or heard an ad for the new Medicare drug benefit |
62 |
|
Looked for general information about the new Medicare
drug benefit |
53 |
|
Looked at information from an insurer or health plan
that will be offering a Medicare drug plan |
45 |
|
Talked to a family member or friend about the new
Medicare drug benefit |
35 |
|
Compared different Medicare drug plan offerings |
22 |
|
Talked to your pharmacist about the new Medicare drug
benefit |
9 |
|
Attended an information session or seminar about the new
Medicare drug benefit |
6 |
|
Talked to your doctor about the new Medicare drug
benefit |
4 |
|
None of these |
18 |
Note 1: This is a new question, 2005 data
only.
Note 2: Multiple-response question.
TABLE 4
FACTORS THAT MATTER WHEN CHOOSING A
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN
“When considering the different options that
might be available to you when choosing a Medicare
prescription drug plan, which of the following is most
important to you personally?”
Base: Adults
aged 65 and older
|
|
Oct. 2005
|
|
|
% |
|
The cost of the co-pays and deductibles you would pay
for prescription drugs |
40 |
|
The cost of the monthly premium you would pay |
32 |
|
The choice of prescription drugs that are covered by the
plan |
18 |
|
The network of pharmacies that you could use to fill
your prescription |
3 |
|
Something else |
8 |
Note: This is a new question, 2005 data
only.
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to
100% due to rounding.
TABLE 5
SENIORS’ INTENT TO ENROLL IN MEDICARE DRUG
PLAN
“How likely are you to enroll in a new
Medicare drug plan by May 2006, when the initial enrollment
period for the new benefit ends?”
Base: Adults
aged 65 and older
|
|
June 2005*
|
Oct. 2005
|
|
|
% |
% |
|
Absolutely Certain/Very or Somewhat Likely (NET) |
32 |
49 |
|
Absolutely certain to enroll |
2 |
12 |
|
Very likely |
15 |
13 |
|
Somewhat likely |
15 |
24 |
|
Not Very/Not At All Likely (NET) |
30 |
16 |
|
Not very likely |
21 |
9 |
|
Not at all likely |
9 |
7 |
|
I already have prescription drug
coverage so I don’t need a new plan |
38 |
35 |
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to
100% due to rounding.
* Data from The Wall Street Journal
Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll conducted June
8-12, 2005 among 2,153 U.S. adults aged 18+.
TABLE 6
SENIORS’ CONFIDENCE IN CHOOSING A DRUG PLAN
“Whether or not you plan to enroll in a new
Medicare drug plan, how confident are you that you would be
able to choose a drug plan that’s right for you?”
Base: Adults age 65 and older
|
|
June 2005*
|
Oct. 2005
|
|
|
% |
% |
|
Very/Somewhat Confident (NET) |
46 |
39 |
|
Very confident |
13 |
6 |
|
Confident |
33 |
32 |
|
Not Very/Not At All Confident
(NET) |
37 |
41 |
|
Not very confident |
25 |
30 |
|
Not at all confident |
13 |
11 |
|
Not sure/Too early to tell |
16 |
21 |
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to
100% due to rounding.
* Data from The Wall Street Journal
Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll conducted June
8-12, 2005 among 2,153 U.S. adults aged 18+.