Extra older People are involved about the way forward for Medicare, in keeping with a survey printed Wednesday.
Seventy-four % of People aged 50-64 say they’re “extraordinarily nervous or nervous” about Medicare not being “obtainable if you turn into eligible to obtain it,” in keeping with the West Well being-Gallup 2024 Survey on Getting old in America.
That determine is up 13 factors from 2022. when 61 % of the identical age group stated they have been involved about Medicare availability when they’re eligible for it.
Seventy-three % of People throughout all age teams surveyed stated they’re “extraordinarily nervous or nervous” about Medicare’s availability when they’re eligible for it, up 6 factors from 2022.
“Threats to Medicare and Social Safety loom giant, and individuals are nervous policymakers received’t do sufficient to guard and strengthen them,” Timothy Lash, the president of West Well being, stated in a press launch accompanying the report.
“These security web packages are a part of the material of getting older that tens of millions of older People depend on, so any potential disruption or query mark round them is trigger for alarm and deserving of larger consideration and motion from policymakers,” Lash continued.
The monetary outlook for Medicare’s funding has improved within the final yr, with its funding to pay all prices of hospital companies of older and disabled beneficiaries not forecast to expire till 2036, in comparison with the earlier yr’s estimate that it might run out in 2029.
“The truth that such a big proportion of U.S. adults observe little prioritization of points affecting older People underscores the extent to which such prioritization might affect voting preferences, notably amongst these already eligible for the federal security web packages and people who will probably be quickly,” Dan Witters, analysis director of the Gallup Nationwide Well being and Properly-Being Index, stated within the launch.
The West Well being-Gallup survey was performed between Nov. 13, 2023 and Jan. 8, that includes 5,184 adults.
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.7 proportion factors on the 95 % confidence stage when response percentages are about 50 %. When response charges are about 10 % or 90 %, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1 proportion level.
Age subgroups have increased margins of error, generally starting from 3 proportion factors to five proportion factors.
