Medicare
Medicare is universally seen as important, and majorities want Congress to protect it.
Many midlife and older adults are skeptical about the future of Medicare.
Familiarity and favorability are high for Medicare.
Many 64-year-olds have not yet started researching Medicare and may underestimate the task of enrolling.
Many factors affect the decision-making process of enrolling in Medicare.
Awareness of the Open Enrollment period is high, but cross-plan comparisons are uncommon.
Midlife and older adults support the inclusion of dental, vision, and hearing coverage in Traditional Medicare.
PAYING FOR LONG-TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THROUGH MEDICARE
Uncertainty about ways to pay for long-term care services is common.
Midlife and older adults are concerned about multiple issues regarding aging.
Midlife and older adults prefer expanding Medicare to cover home-care aide services.
MEDICAID
Health is a worry among Medicaid recipients ages 50 to 64.
Yet preventive care is not a priority among most Medicaid recipients.
Money is still at the forefront for most Medicaid recipients.
And food insecurity remains a concern.
Family, friends and community are important to midlife Medicaid recipients.
Health Care Affordability
The costs of health care and medical debt plague many midlife adults.
Midlife and older adults see the importance of having adequate health insurance coverage and making it more affordable.
Employer-based health insurance is most common among adults ages 4064.
Although most with health insurance are not concerned about losing it, they have issues with using it.
Midlife adults express general satisfaction with health insurance coverage, albeit with caveats.
Stigma and Age Discrimination in Health Care
Stigma, while dropping for some health conditions, persists for others.
Midlife and older adults believe that age discrimination in health care is all too common.
Household income and age appear to be drivers of age discrimination in health care.
Prescription Drugs
Prescription drug costs continue to vex midlife and older adults.
Many midlife and older adults are feeling the pinch of high drug prices.
Affording prescription drugs often requires making trade-offs.
Telehealth and Health Tech
Comfort with using telehealth services is high among midlife and older adults.
Telehealth use is high and so too is satisfaction.
Telehealth is tops for convenience.
But in-person visits provide that personal touch that many prefer.
Telehealth is an option, but still not for everyone.
Its not just about telehealth anymore; health tech is here to stay.
Health tech can support health and wellness needs.
Reasons for telehealth use have evolved over time.
Barriers to telehealth use have also evolved over time.
Quality of virtual care relative to in-person visits remains a concern among telehealth users.
Hearing Health
Problems with hearing are common as people age.
Most adults know hearing loss contributes to social isolation; fewer know it contributes to dementia.
Older adults do not consider hearing health as important as other health issues.
Vision and Eye Health
Vision is seen as critically important to ones quality of life over time.
A majority of midlife and older adults rate their vision highly and have regular eye exams.
Many midlife and older adults appear to be monitoring their vision and driving accordingly.
Lack of vigilance could hamper efforts to maintain optimal eye health.
Access to dental services is common in rural areas but the frequency and reasons for visits vary.
Difficulty in paying dental bills is all-too-common, resulting in delays in seeking care or forgoing it altogether.
Exercise and Physical Activity
The benefits of regular exercise are well known.
But when it comes to exercise and physical activity, knowing and doing are two different things.
Regular exercise often begets more exercise.
Most midlife and older adults walk.
Walking is good for you.
Most walkers walk with others, and neighborhoods are a common place to do so.
Weather is the most-often cited barrier to walking, with safety concerns taking second place.
How to maintain good health is no mystery, but doing it remains a challenge.
Stress is all too common among midlife and older adults.
