June 2010 independent survey of retirees covered by Medicare

A June 2010 independent survey of 408 retirees covered by Medicare revealed that 90 days after the passage of health care reform legislation 64% are "very" or "somewhat" confident Medicare will be available the rest of their lives, but just 23% have the same confidence it will be here for their children. The survey further revealed that 61% of respondents are "not" confident that Medicare will be here for their children and another 14% are "unsure."

“While retiree confidence in Medicare during their own lifetimes has increased since the passage of health care reform legislation, retirees remain concerned about Medicare for future generations.”

The survey was fielded by Extend Health, Inc., which operates the largest private Medicare exchange in the country at www.ExtendHealth.com.

Extend Health conducted the same survey with retirees on Medicare in March 2010 - just days before health care reform legislation was passed. Since March, the number of retirees who responded that they are "very" or "somewhat" confident Medicare will be available for the rest of their lives increased from 59% to 64% while the number who responded that they are "not" confident decreased from 32% to 24%.

On the question of their confidence that Medicare will be there for the rest of their children's lives, results between the March and June surveys were nearly the same.

"The surveys reveal a tale of two cities," said Bryce Williams, President and CEO of Extend Health. "While retiree confidence in Medicare during their own lifetimes has increased since the passage of health care reform legislation, retirees remain concerned about Medicare for future generations."