Eight in 10 Seniors in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans Satisfied, Survey Finds
More than eight in 10 seniors who are enrolled in Medicare drug plans are satisfied with their plans, while nearly two in 10 who have used their plans report experiencing a major problem, according to a tracking survey released on Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (Bridges, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/28). The survey tracks the experiences of 1,585 seniors ages 65 and older -- including 623 seniors enrolled in Medicare prescription drug plans -- who were interviewed between June 8 and June 18 (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 7/27).
The survey also finds that about one-third, or 34%, of seniors who have used their drug plans have experienced what they perceived as problems, including 18% who described them as "major" problems and 16% who described them as "minor" problems. The experiences cited as problems included having unexpected costs, not being able to fill a prescription at the pharmacy, not receiving an enrollment card and having to change medications because a prescription is not covered (Abruzzese, CQ HealthBeat, 7/27).
Ninety percent of seniors who experienced minor problems and 55% who experienced major problems believe the issues were resolved satisfactorily. Among seniors who have used their plans, 27% of those in fair or poor health report experiencing major problems, compared with 12% of those in excellent or very good health (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/28).
The survey also examines seniors' overall opinions of the drug benefit, their drug costs under the program and their knowledge of the doughnut hole coverage gap, under which seniors must pay 100% of total prescription drug costs between $2,250 and $5,100. According to the survey, 35% of seniors enrolled in Medicare drug plans say the drug benefit "could be improved with some minor changes," while 24% say the program "is working well and no real changes are needed," and 27% say the program "is not working and needs major changes."
In addition, the survey finds that:
- Overall, 32% of seniors view the drug benefit favorably, while 30% view it unfavorably (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 7/27);
- Nearly half of seniors who have used their Medicare drug plans say they are saving money on prescription drug costs, while one in three say they are paying about the same as before the drug benefit and one in six say the are paying more (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/28);
- 34% of seniors enrolled in Medicare drug plans say their plans have a coverage gap, 36% say their plans do not have a coverage gap and 30% say they are unsure or cannot answer the question (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 7/27);
- About two in three seniors do not know that special assistance is available to low-income seniors;
- Of seniors who likely would qualify for the special assistance, 32% are aware of the option (CQ HealthBeat, 7/27); and
- Among all seniors, relatively few consider prescription drugs to be the driving issue in the upcoming elections, ranking it ninth on a list of 12 issues when asked to identify the "single most important" issue in the congressional election (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 7/27).
Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said the survey shows that the drug benefit is "certainly not the catastrophe many critics had predicted it would be, but there definitely are significant problems" (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/28). Altman added, "[I]t bears close monitoring that the sickest seniors are most likely to report problems" (CQ HealthBeat, 7/27).
Mollyann Brodie, a Kaiser Family Foundation vice president and director of public opinion and media research for the foundation, said, "For the most part, seniors in these new plans are happy with the choices they made, but there are certainly some potential challenges that were raised by the data" (Jaffe, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 7/28).
CMS spokesperson Peter Ashkenaz said the survey "shows that a majority of people who are enrolled in the drug plans are satisfied with the program," adding that seniors enrolled in the drug benefit receive more than three million prescriptions daily (CQ HealthBeat, 7/27).
CMS Administrator Mark McClellan said, "We have learned a lot about what people want in their drug coverage," adding, "That's going to be reflected in choices that are simpler" in the second year of the drug benefit (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/28).
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said that "the survey also helps to identify areas on which we need to continue to work," adding, "We need to make sure beneficiaries know that extra help is available for premiums and cost-sharing. We also need to make sure beneficiaries have the resources they need to make their choices" (CQ HealthBeat, 7/27).
Robert Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, said the 81% satisfaction rate is too low, noting, "If you're delivering life-protecting medicine to older Americans, a 20% failure rate is appalling. We have an extravagant, wastefully flawed program that does too little good for too few people" (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 7/28).