Most Medicare members have an easy way to find providers and treatment but want better access to supplemental health benefits

Washington DC, May 25, 2022

The majority of Medicare members feel they have easy access to care and resources that help them understand their overall health. However, a plurality are concerned about affording recommended care

• Overall, Medicare members feel that they understand their health insurance (84%) and that their health plan does enough to support their health needs (72%).
• About 3 in 5 members say they currently have access to an easy way to find providers and treatment options (65%) as well as resources that give them a clear picture of their overall health and their conditions (62%). More Medicare Advantage members have access to these benefits than members on government paid for plans (government-sponsored Medicare members).
• Despite having easy access to care, over 1 in 3 Medicare members worry about being able to afford the care doctors recommend to them, from prescriptions to medical procedures (34%), with about 1 in 6 members saying they cannot always afford their prescriptions (17%).
• Slightly more members on government sponsored Medicare plans say they have had trouble affording prescriptions (22%) than Medicare Advantage members (14%). In addition, members who are employed full time worry more about affording care (42%) than retirees (32%).
• Help accessing healthy foods was also important to most Medicare members (59%), particularly among members with both Medicare and Medicaid (76%)

When considering the importance of benefits, Medicare members list prescription drug coverage as the most important benefit for their plan to have, but say they would also like access to additional benefits that cover all their health needs, such as gym membership fees or vision care.

• Nearly all (93%) Medicare members list prescription drug coverage as the most important health benefit in their plan, followed by supplemental benefits like dental and vision care or gym memberships (85%).
• About 2 in 5 members (45%) do not currently have access to supplemental health benefits and say they would want access in the future. These supplemental benefits were significantly more important to Medicare Advantage members (91%) than to those with government sponsored Medicare plans (78%).
• Other resources members want access to include cost tools or resources that help them know how much healthcare services and medications will cost (42%). Resources like this could help the 1 in 5 members who say they felt overwhelmed by information from their plan (20%) and were surprised by a bill or the cost of care (20%).

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, health benefits such as digital access to care or transportation assistance for Medicare members remained important, but support for staying connected to loved ones and prescription drug coverage have become even more important.

• About two thirds of members say support staying connected to friends, family, and community (39%) and prescription coverage (36%) have become more important to them since the pandemic began.
• Nearly half (48%) of members say having digital ways to access care is important to them.
• Digital access to care was more important among full time workers (62%) compared to retirees (47%).
• Throughout the last year of the pandemic, two thirds of members got frequent and helpful information about COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines from their plans (66%).

About the Study

These are some of the findings of a Virgin Pulse/Ipsos poll conducted between March 23-25 and April 13-14, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,071 adults enrolled in Medicare ages 65+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii was interviewed online in English.

The sample was randomly drawn from Ipsos’ online panel, partner online panel sources, and “river” sampling and does not rely on a population frame in the traditional sense. Ipsos uses fixed sample targets, unique to each study, in drawing a sample. After a sample has been obtained from the Ipsos panel, Ipsos calibrates respondent characteristics to be representative of the U.S. Population using standard procedures such as raking-ratio adjustments. The source of these population targets is U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on demographics. Post-hoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, race/ethnicity, region, and education.  

Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online non-probability polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for all respondents. Ipsos calculates a design effect (DEFF) for each study based on the variation of the weights, following the formula of Kish (1965). This study had a credibility interval adjusted for design effect of the following (n=1,071, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval=+/-5.2 percentage points).

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Jennifer Berg

Director, US

Public Affairs

+1 312 526 4224

[email protected]

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