Health Affairs

Health Affairs, doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.4.w521 (Published online May 12, 2009) © 2009 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

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Meeting Enrollees' Needs: How Do Medicare And Employer Coverage Stack Up?

Karen Davis ^1*, Stuart Guterman ², Michelle M. Doty ³, Kristof M. Stremikis ⁴

¹ Karen Davis is president of the Commonwealth Fund in New York City.
² Stuart Guterman is assistant vice president, Medicare's Future, at the Commonwealth Fund.
³ Michelle Doty is director of survey research at the Commonwealth Fund.
⁴ Kristof Stremikis is research associate to the president of the Commonwealth Fund.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

One key issue in health reform concerns the relative roles of coverage offered through private insurance and public programs. This paper compares the experiences of aged Medicare beneficiaries with those of people under age sixty-five who have private employer coverage. Compared with the employer-coverage group, people in the Medicare group report fewer problems obtaining medical care, less financial hardship due to medical bills, and higher overall satisfaction with their coverage. Although access and bill payment problems increased across the board from 2001 to 2007, the gap between Medicare and private employer coverage widened. [Health Affairs 28, no. 4 (2009): w521-w532 (published online 12 May 2009; 10.1377/hlthaff.28.4.w521)]

Key Words: Access To Care, Business Of Health, Consumer Issues, Health Reform, Insurance Coverage, Medicare, Public Opinion, Insurance Market

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