Health Affairs

Posting date: October 9, 2002

This Article Reprint (PDF) HTML Version Submit a response to this article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Comments are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Personal Archive Download to Citation Manager Reprints & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Davis, K. Articles by Tenney, K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Davis, K. Articles by Tenney, K. Related Collections Access To Care Medicare Public Opinion

Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.w2.311
Copyright © 2003 by Project HOPE

Web Exclusives

Medicare Versus Private Insurance: Rhetoric And Reality

Karen Davis ^1*, Cathy Schoen ², Michelle Doty ³, Katie Tenney ⁴

¹ Karen Davis is president of the Commonwealth Fund in New York City.
² Cathy Schoen is vice-president for health policy, research, and evaluation at the Commonwealth Fund in New York City.
³ Michelle Doty is a senior analyst at the Commonwealth Fund in New York City.
⁴ Katie Tenney is special assistant to the president at the Commonwealth Fund in New York City.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Many policymakers have called for the remodeling of Medicare to more closely resemble private insurance, which is often assumed to work better than public programs do. However, evidence from this 2001 survey demonstrates that Medicare beneficiaries are generally more satisfied with their health care than are persons under age sixty-five who are covered by private insurance. Medicare beneficiaries report fewer problems getting access to care, greater confidence about their access, and fewer instances of financial hardship as a result of medical bills. Making the program more like private insurance runs the risk of undermining a program that is working well from the perspective of beneficiaries.

Key Words: Access To Care, Medicare, Public Opinion

                      What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Davis, S. Guterman, M. M. Doty, and K. M. Stremikis Meeting Enrollees' Needs: How Do Medicare And Employer Coverage Stack Up? Health Aff., July 1, 2009; 28(4): w521 - w532. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]