Six in Ten Older Adults Spend Under an Hour Picking Medicare Coverage, Poll

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

65% : It marks the start of Medicare Open Enrollment, the once-a-year window when people with Medicare can reconsider their coverage for the coming year.
62% : Medicare Advantage plans can offer benefits traditional Medicare cannot, such as transportation, food programs, and caregiver support, though some plans have trimmed these offerings in recent years.
61% : Among those who did review what was available in their area, only 25 percent said the most important source they consulted was one offered by Medicare itself, either the plan-finding tool on the Medicare website or the Medicare hotline.
60% : Only 15 percent had heard of a feature added during the 2026 enrollment cycle that lets users of the Medicare Plan Finder see which doctors and other health care professionals would be considered in network by a chosen Medicare Advantage plan.
60% : Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plan options are changing across the country as insurance companies make business decisions about what they offer and where, which makes it especially important, he said, to check all options carefully every year.
60% : Depending on where someone lives, options always include traditional Medicare, which is accepted by nearly all doctors and hospitals, and may include as many as 80 Medicare Advantage plans, each with its own networks.
58% : Just 5 percent named a free local counselor, such as one from the federally funded State Health Insurance Assistance Program, known as SHIP, which operates in every state.
56% : Just as someone would take time before buying a car or a major appliance, she noted, the same care should apply to Medicare options.
55% : Virtually all those surveyed, 92 percent, said they were somewhat or very confident about making decisions about their Medicare coverage.
55% : The poll also probed how many enrollees had heard about major policy changes that federal lawmakers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had made for 2026.
55% : In some areas, a program called PACE is available to Medicare-eligible people who need nursing home-level care but want to remain at home.
54% : Against that noise, free resources exist: the Medicare website and toll-free hotline offer information in multiple languages with interpreter and deaf and hard-of-hearing services, the Plan Finder lets users compare Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap plans down to specific drugs and doctors, and SHIP counselors and programs such as Michigan's MI Options call center, launched in summer 2025, provide help with no financial stake in the outcome.
53% : According to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, based at the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, 60 percent of older adults spend less than an hour choosing their Medicare coverage during Open Enrollment.
53% : Geoffrey Hoffman, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and an IHPI member who studies Medicare, said the data point to a strong need for older adults, particularly those dissatisfied with their current coverage, to take more time to thoroughly review their options.
53% : When poll respondents were asked to choose from a list of factors that mattered most in their Medicare decisions, out-of-pocket costs topped the list, selected by 69 percent, followed closely by medication coverage at 63 percent and network coverage of health care providers at 62 percent.
52% : The poll team gathered its data just after last year's enrollment period by surveying Medicare enrollees aged 65 and older drawn from a nationally representative sample of older adults.
52% : The impact on any individual enrollee depends on the Part D prescription drug plan they choose, and fifteen more drugs added to the negotiation list for 2027 will be reflected in the drug coverage shown on the Medicare Plan Finder.
50% : The Medicare questions went to 1,796 community-dwelling U.S. adults aged 65 to 98 from the AmeriSpeak panel, with results weighted to reflect the population.
50% : The change generating the most recognition was lower prices for 10 high-cost drugs, a result of Medicare's new authority to negotiate what it pays drugmakers for some prescription medications, but only 38 percent of all respondents had heard of it.
50% : The technical landscape of Medicare itself helps explain why the decision is so complex.
50% : Optional Medigap plans can supplement traditional Medicare, although states vary in whether enrollees with major health issues can be charged more or denied outright if they want to buy a Medigap plan after moving from Medicare Advantage back to traditional Medicare.
50% : Since 2025, a cap has limited the total amount any Medicare enrollee must pay out of pocket for prescriptions covered by Part D or Medicare Advantage, closing the so-called donut hole that formerly left some enrollees paying thousands more.
49% : Subject of Research: Medicare plan selection behavior and decision-making among older adults during Open Enrollment Article Title: Many older adults make Medicare decisions quickly and most don't change plans, poll finds Article References: Many older adults make Medicare decisions quickly and most don't change plans, poll finds.
47% : Original publication Image Credits: AI Generated DOI: Not provided Keywords: Medicare, Open Enrollment, Medicare Advantage, National Poll on Healthy Aging, University of Michigan, prescription drug costs, SHIP counselors, health insurance, older adults, Plan Finder, Part D, health policy
46% : Just 29 percent were aware of two 2026 changes that could increase their exposure to prescription drug costs: an increase in the deductible, the total amount they could be asked to pay before Medicare or their Medicare Advantage plan starts paying, and an increase in the cap on total annual drug costs.
45% : For those who do switch to a Medicare Advantage plan and regret it, a second chance exists: they can change plans, or move to traditional Medicare, before March 31 after coverage begins, and other special enrollment periods may also apply.
44% : Perhaps the most telling number in the poll is this: 80 percent of respondents stuck with the same Medicare coverage they had the previous year.

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