In the United States, when seniors turn 65 and/or are eligible for Medicare, they need to make a number of choices and enrollment decisions including whether to enroll in traditional Medicare (Parts A and B), prescription drug coverage (Part D), supplemental coverage to pay for additional costs not covered by traditional Medicare, or whether they will get coverage through Medicare Advantage (Part C) instead. This study suggests that existing online medical resource usage and effects among senior citizens in the United States may need supplementing with in-person communication among influential agents. However, among those who used and appeared to be comfortable with navigating the internet, was not discussed as a useful resource for making decisions regarding health insurance. Only a few of these seniors used the available internet resources, and in fact most of them mentioned that they did not have a computer/smart device with internet capabilities. Others consulted with family and/or friends for guidance, or to compare costs and benefits. Some seniors relied heavily on insurance brokers or representatives, and considered the information provided to them without questioning the potential for bias. We found that most seniors have strong preferences for obtaining information in-person regarding benefits, cost and other plan information.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 MA beneficiaries from Rhode Island. The purpose of the present study was to qualitatively explore how seniors obtain information about insurance plans in MA.

While the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare offer online resources that are designed to enable potential beneficiaries to make informed coverage decisions, there is no information as to whether seniors use these resources, and therefore whether these resources are effective compared to other information retrieval methods. However, there is very limited information about how seniors obtain information to help them make their choices. Every year during open enrollment, seniors can enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA) or switch MA plans. Managed care programs in the US are becoming a preferred alternative among low-income individuals in the US.

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