TL;DR
Turn quiet afternoons into listening time
- Thousands of audiobooks, podcasts and originals
- Listen on your phone, tablet or Echo — also offline
- Cancel anytime
A University of Michigan poll found that 60% of adults 65 and older spent less than an hour reviewing Medicare coverage during the previous Open Enrollment, including 27% who did not review options. The findings also show limited awareness of several Medicare changes and heavy reliance on existing coverage, as the 2027 enrollment period runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.
Six in 10 Medicare enrollees age 65 and older spent less than an hour reviewing coverage during the previous Open Enrollment, and 27% said they did not review options at all, according to a new University of Michigan poll. The findings arrive as the 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment period begins, a period when beneficiaries can examine and change coverage for the coming year.
The National Poll on Healthy Aging, based at the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, surveyed Medicare enrollees age 65 and older shortly after the previous year’s Open Enrollment. Respondents came from a nationally representative sample of older adults, according to the poll team. Overall, 80% kept the coverage they had the year before.
Among those who reviewed available options, 25% named a Medicare source—the website’s plan-finding tool or the Medicare hotline—as their most important information source. Another 26% cited an insurance broker, 21% a health plan website and 5% a free local counselor, such as one affiliated with the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP. The poll also found that 92% were somewhat or very confident in their ability to make Medicare coverage decisions.
Awareness of policy changes was limited in the survey. Thirty-eight percent had heard about lower prices for 10 high-cost drugs, a result of Medicare’s new authority to negotiate prices for some medicines. Just 29% knew about changes to drug-plan deductibles and the annual cap on covered prescription drug costs. Fifteen percent had heard that the Medicare Plan Finder could show which providers were in network for a selected Medicare Advantage plan.
Why Plan Reviews Matter This Year
The findings matter because coverage decisions can affect beneficiaries’ costs and access to care throughout the plan year. A plan that suited someone last year may not fit as well if their prescriptions, health needs, preferred doctors or hospital choices change. The poll does not show that respondents who kept their plans made poor choices; it does show that many made decisions with little or no review, even as rules and available information changed.
Asked which factors mattered most, respondents most often selected out-of-pocket costs (69%), followed by medication coverage (63%) and whether their providers were in network (62%). Those priorities make plan-specific details relevant: a general announcement about lower drug prices does not establish what an individual will pay under a particular Part D plan, and provider networks can differ among Medicare Advantage plans.
Poll researchers said free SHIP counselors can help people compare coverage and are not financially tied to the plan a beneficiary chooses. The survey results do not establish why people spent little time reviewing options or whether counseling would change their selections, but the low use of SHIP identified in the poll points to an information source many respondents did not name as their main resource.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The 2027 Enrollment Window
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, according to the report. It covers the period when people can review available Medicare coverage and make choices for the next plan year. The poll’s results were gathered after the prior enrollment period, so they describe respondents’ recent decision-making rather than a measurement of behavior during the 2027 window.
Some policy changes discussed in the poll took effect for 2026 and will continue into 2027. The report says the negotiated lower prices applied to 10 high-cost drugs, with 15 additional drugs set to be added to the list for 2027 and included in the Medicare Plan Finder. It also describes changes to the amount beneficiaries may pay before coverage begins and the annual maximum they pay for covered drugs. The effect on an individual depends on their coverage, including the Part D plan they choose.
The Plan Finder also added information about providers considered in network by a Medicare Advantage plan. Network status can affect costs, particularly when a beneficiary receives care outside a plan’s network. Researchers cited the tool change as relevant because this information had been difficult to find in previous years, according to the report.
“It’s easy to ‘set it and forget it’ with Medicare, especially if you have coverage that you like and assume is the best that’s out there.”
— Geoffrey Hoffman, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
Medicare Part D prescription drug plan
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
What the Poll Cannot Establish
The poll describes reported behavior and awareness, but the supplied findings do not give the survey’s total respondent count, exact field dates, margin of error or detailed breakdowns by income, health status, plan type or location. Those details would help readers assess how precisely the results apply to different groups of older adults.
The results also do not establish why respondents skipped a review, whether they understood all relevant changes, or whether those who kept their plans had coverage that remained suitable. The 92% confidence figure reflects respondents’ self-reported confidence; it does not independently measure whether their choices were well informed or financially advantageous.
The report gives national awareness figures for selected policy changes, but it does not specify how each change will affect every beneficiary. In particular, the effect of negotiated drug prices depends on a person’s plan and prescriptions. Individual plan costs, provider networks and coverage details must be checked against the options available to that person.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Reviewing Coverage Before Dec. 7
The 2027 enrollment period is underway from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2026. Beneficiaries can use the Medicare Plan Finder to review available options, including drug coverage and, for Medicare Advantage, network information described in the report. The University of Michigan researchers recommend comparing plans against current prescriptions, preferred clinicians and expected costs rather than assuming last year’s choice remains the best fit.
People seeking help can contact Medicare or look for a local State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselor, which the report describes as a free source of guidance. The poll does not track whether awareness or review behavior changes during this enrollment period. Further information about how the new policy details affect specific plans will depend on each beneficiary’s coverage and circumstances.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What did the University of Michigan poll find?
Sixty percent of surveyed Medicare enrollees age 65 and older spent less than an hour reviewing coverage during the previous Open Enrollment. That included 27% who said they did not review their options, while 80% kept the coverage they had the year before.
When is Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage?
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2026, according to the report.
How aware were respondents of the Medicare drug changes?
Thirty-eight percent had heard about lower prices for 10 high-cost drugs. Twenty-nine percent knew about changes to the drug deductible and annual out-of-pocket cap described in the poll.
Where can older adults get help comparing Medicare plans?
The report points to Medicare’s website and hotline, as well as free local counselors through the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). The poll found that 5% of respondents who reviewed options named a free local counselor as their most important information source.
Source: rss
Cold & flu season Picks
humidifiers
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
