Consumer Sentiments on Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage plans continue to provide value, according to the results of a new poll.

Ninety-four percent of beneficiaries are satisfied with their Medicare Advantage coverage, according to the poll of 2,000 beneficiaries conducted Morning Consult and released by Washington, D.C.-based Better Medicare Alliance, a coalition of Medicare Advantage supporters of more than 400,000 beneficiaries and over 140 ally organizations led by Allyson Y. Schwartz, a a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Better Medicare Alliance commissions a poll annually to gauge seniors’ views on Medicare issues.

“Our previous polling pegged this number at 92%-so it’s remarkable that enrollees’ satisfaction rate has climbed even higher,” says Schwartz, Better Medicare Alliance president and CEO. “What’s more, 93% of respondents are satisfied with their network of doctors, physicians, and specialists in their Medicare Advantage plan, and nearly two-thirds [62%] go so far as to say that Medicare Advantage is a ‘better choice’ for seniors’ needs that traditional Medicare.” 

Healthcare executives want to have their finger on the pulse of the Medicare marketplace so they know how to best respond to emerging trends, according to Schwartz.

“With this poll, we’re providing a timely snapshot of seniors’ views and it confirms what we’ve long known: they like their Medicare Advantage coverage and want to see it protected and strengthened by policy makers in Washington and health care plans and providers,” she says.

Related: Original Medicare Tops Advantage

Other findings

The poll also found that nearly half of seniors on Medicare (45%) still did not know about Medicare Advantage when first enrolling in coverage, and 32% said they would have liked to have more upfront information about this option.

“These results show improvement from previous polling which has placed the share of seniors unaware of Medicare Advantage as high as 65% but it shows us that there is still work to be done,” Schwartz says. “Every beneficiary deserves complete, unbiased information about their Medicare options so that they can make an informed decision based on their unique healthcare needs.

“With half of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries enrolled in $0 premium plans; 97% having access to dental, vision, hearing, or fitness benefits unavailable in traditional Medicare; and beneficiaries experiencing lower out-of-pocket costs, it is clear that seniors are responding,” Schwartz says. “As policy makers continue discussions on healthcare policy in Washington, we must protect what works. Medicare Advantage is exactly that.”