POLL: Seniors Give Telehealth High Marks; Medicare Advantage Satisfaction Smashes New Record
Amid COVID-19 pandemic, 91% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries using telehealth report favorable experiences while a record-setting 99% express satisfaction with their MA plan
Washington, D.C. – Better Medicare Alliance (BMA), the leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage, released the results of a new Morning Consult survey of more than 1,000 seniors on Medicare Advantage.
The survey, conducted between May 16-18, found near-unanimous satisfaction with Medicare Advantage (99%) while also reporting high favorability for telehealth (91%), strong trust in information provided by Medicare Advantage plans (84%), and few interruptions to health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic (73% saw no interruptions).
“We have heard a lot of conversation about telehealth in Beltway circles and these new findings offer evidence from seniors across the country that they, too, are learning to use these services. Our survey found that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who try telehealth are overwhelmingly satisfied and 78 percent are willing to use it again,” said Allyson Y. Schwartz, President and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance. “At the same time, seniors’ satisfaction with Medicare Advantage has reached an all-time high of 99 percent – topping the previous record of 94 percent. Survey data shows that beneficiaries trust information provided from their doctors and health plan about the COVID-19 pandemic more than the news media or even family and friends. Beneficiaries are also highly confident in their ability to obtain a coronavirus test if needed – a finding we attribute to Medicare Advantage’s strong emphasis on coordinated and primary care.”
Schwartz concluded, “Together, these findings offer a comprehensive picture of the significant value that Medicare Advantage delivers to seniors in these difficult times, and of beneficiaries’ willingness to receive health care in new ways. We hope policymakers will take these findings to heart as they consider actions needed to provide security and stability for Medicare Advantage that 24.4 million Americans rely on today.”
Key Findings:
- 99% of respondents say they are satisfied with their Medicare Advantage coverage, including 64% who are very satisfied.
- Additionally, 94% are satisfied with their Medicare Advantage plan’s overall handling of the coronavirus, and 89% are satisfied with how their Medicare Advantage plan has kept them informed about their response to the coronavirus.
- A majority of seniors on Medicare Advantage (73%) have continued to receive care for their health care needs either in person or by telehealth, while 27% have experienced interruptions in health care during coronavirus.
- 68% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are confident that they would have access to a coronavirus test if needed.
- A majority of seniors on Medicare Advantage (79%) say they have received enough information about receiving health care during coronavirus, while 21% wish they received more information about receiving health care during COVID-19.
- Overall, half of seniors on Medicare Advantage (52%) are comfortable using telehealth services to receive health care, while 30% are uncomfortable, and 18% are unsure. A quarter (24%) have used telehealth services during the coronavirus to receive health care.
- Among those who have used telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic, a strong majority (91%) had a favorable telehealth experience and 78% are likely to complete a medical appointment via telehealth again in the future.
Read more in a memorandum from Morning Consult HERE.