Although most seniors appear to be at least somewhat satisfied with their coverage, many are deeply worried about what the future may hold for the program, according to a national survey released this week.
The , commissioned by , an Illinois-based, Social Security disability claims聽representation company, found that 89 percent of seniors are extremely or somewhat satisfied with the coverage they currently have through Medicare.
鈥淔ifty million Americans are relying on the program and they鈥檙e very satisfied with it,鈥� said Rebecca Ray, a representative from Allsup. 鈥淭hey like the current version. They like the version they鈥檙e receiving now.鈥�
The 聽findings were not a surprise given the current state of politics, according to Mary Dale Walters, Allsup鈥檚 Senior Vice President.
Most seniors rely on Social Security for the majority of their income, and each year there is a modest cost-of-living increase 鈥� for example,聽next year鈥檚 increase聽of聽1.7 percent will result in about $227 more in their Social Security checks, she said in an email.
鈥淢any seniors experience much higher increases in their healthcare costs when you factor in premiums, co-pays and deductibles, and we are living longer,鈥� 聽she said. 鈥淪o, having Medicare benefits trimmed back is very concerning to them.鈥� The survey also found that about 71 percent were willing to shoulder increased costs to preserve their current coverage. This willingness was usually linked to satisfaction.
鈥淚t was somewhat surprising how many seniors would be willing to pay more for Medicare,鈥� Walters added. 鈥淭hat, I think, underscores just how concerned they are about Medicare鈥檚 future.鈥�
Seniors also told pollsters that their ability to pay for longterm care was a big worry. These issues are 鈥渧ery critical to them,鈥� Ray added.
The poll of 1,000 seniors聽was conducted by between July 5 and 11聽and has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. Only individuals 65 years and older who currently have Medicare coverage were surveyed.