Medicare beneficiaries are more satisfied with their health care and experience fewer problems accessing and paying for care than Americans with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI), according to a study by Commonwealth Fund researchers published on the Health Affairs web site. The results of the survey of 3,500 adults lead the researchers to speculate that, “If given the opportunity many adults under age 65 would likely select a public health insurance option.”
Thirty-seven percent of Medicare beneficiaries rated their coverage as excellent versus 20 percent of the employer group. Only eight percent of Medicare beneficiaries rated their insurance as "fair" or "poor" compared with 18 percent of those with ESI. Sixty-one percent of Medicare beneficiaries said that they had received excellent or very good care, compared to just half of those with ESI. And 57 percent of elderly Medicare beneficiaries were confident that they could get high-quality, safe care in the future versus 46 percent of those in the employer group. Despite their lower incomes, elderly Medicare beneficiaries reported fewer problems with medical bills, such as inability to pay or being contacted by collection agencies. Fifteen percent of them reported at least one of these problems compared to 26 percent of those in the employer-coverage group.
