Support for "Medicare for All" Drops among Medicare Beneficiaries, eHealth Survey Finds

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a survey of more than 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries released today by eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) (eHealth.com), 37% of Medicare beneficiaries support the idea that all Americans should have access to Medicare or Medicare-like coverage, down from 41% in a 2019 eHealth survey.

eHealth's survey found that 58% of Medicare beneficiaries now say Medicare should remain primarily for people age 65 and older, up from 42% last year.

"We have been tracking consumer sentiment on 'Medicare for all' proposals for some time now but the results of our most recent survey surprised us," said eHealth CEO Scott Flanders. "As we get deeper into election season and Medicare beneficiaries listen to candidates and weigh the pros and cons of various proposals, it seems that support for a radical revamp of the Medicare program, and for 'Medicare for all' candidates, is dropping."

Additional highlights from the survey:

• Fewer Medicare beneficiaries would support a "Medicare for all" candidate – 43% say they would not consider supporting a "Medicare for all" candidate for president, up from 36% in 2019.
• Highest income earners most likely to support "Medicare for all" – 47% of those with an income of $100,000 or more support "Medicare for all," compared to 33% of those with an income of $75,000-$100,000 and 42% of those with an income less than $25,000 per year.
• Most do not think "Medicare for all" would be implemented" – 52% say they consider it very or somewhat unlikely that a "Medicare for all" program would be implemented even if a "Medicare for all" candidate is elected president.

eHealth's findings are based on a voluntary survey of consumers who enrolled in Medicare plans purchased from eHealth. The survey was conducted in January 2020 and a total of 1,086 responses were received.

Read the full report.

About eHealth
eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) owns eHealth.com, a leading private online health insurance exchange where individuals, families and small businesses can compare health insurance products from brand-name insurers side by side and purchase and enroll in coverage online and over the phone. eHealth offers thousands of individual, family and small business health plans underwritten by many of the nation's leading health insurance companies. eHealth (through its subsidiaries) is licensed to sell health insurance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. eHealth also offers educational resources, exceptional telephonic support, and powerful online and pharmacy-based tools to help Medicare beneficiaries navigate Medicare health insurance options, choose the right plan and enroll in select plans online or over the phone through Medicare.com (www.Medicare.com), eHealthMedicare.com (www.eHealthMedicare.com), GoMedigap (www.goMedigap.com) and PlanPrescriber.com (www.PlanPrescriber.com).

For media inquiries, please contact:          

Sande Drew  
DMA Communications for eHealth, Inc.
(916) 207-7674
[email protected]

James Chisum
Media Consultant
(562) 493-6023
[email protected]

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SOURCE eHealth, Inc.