Seniors vs. Ronald Reagan

Conservatives are quoting Reagan's attacks on Socialized medicine and aren't pointing out he was talking about Medicare which is overwhelmingly popular...

 

Medicare is overwhelmingly popular among enrollees and the American public

Seventy-seven percent say Medicare is "very important" for the country. An April 2009 health tracking poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that "[j]ust over three in four Americans say the Medicare program is 'very important' for the country as a whole, and just over half say it is very important for their own family. Seniors -- who make up the bulk of current participants -- are even more likely to say the program is important to them: nine in ten of those aged 65 and up say the program is important to them and their family, with nearly all of these (78 percent overall) calling it 'very important.' "

Commonwealth Fund: Medicare beneficiaries age 65+ "reported greater overall satisfaction." A May 2009 Commonwealth Fund survey concluded that "elderly Medicare beneficiaries reported greater overall satisfaction with their health coverage, better access to care, and fewer problems paying medical bills than people covered by employer-sponsored plans."

Medicare rated higher than private health insurance plans. As Mark Blumenthal wrote on National Journal Online, surveys by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that in 2007, "56 percent of enrollees in traditional fee-for-service Medicare give their 'health plan' a rating of 9 or 10 on a 0-10 scale. Similarly, 60 percent of seniors enrolled in Medicare Managed Care rated their plans a 9 or 10. But according to the CAHPS [Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems ] surveys compiled by HHS, only 40 percent of Americans enrolled in private health insurance gave their plans a 9 or 10 rating." Blumenthal added, "More importantly, the higher scores for Medicare are based on perceptions of better access to care. More than two thirds (70 percent) of traditional Medicare enrollees say they 'always' get access to needed care (appointments with specialists or other necessary tests and treatment), compared with 63 percent in Medicare managed care plans and only 51 percent of those with private insurance." [NationalJournal.com, 6/29/09].

From Blumenthal's post:

Posted via email from Jim Nichols