TL;DR
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A University of Michigan poll of Medicare enrollees age 65 and older found that 60% spent less than an hour reviewing coverage options for 2026, including 27% who did not review them at all. Eight in 10 kept their previous coverage, while 92% said they were somewhat or very confident in their decisions.
Six in 10 Medicare enrollees age 65 and older spent less than an hour reviewing coverage options for 2026, and 80% kept the coverage they had the year before, according to a University of Michigan poll. The findings highlight how quickly many older adults make choices that can affect their health care and costs for a full year, ahead of the next open enrollment period.
The National Poll on Healthy Aging surveyed Medicare enrollees age 65 and older soon after they selected coverage for 2026. The respondents came from a nationally representative sample of older adults, according to the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, which is based at the university and runs the poll.
Among respondents, 27% said they did not spend any time reviewing options, while another 33% said they reviewed them for less than an hour. Overall, 80% stayed with the previous year’s coverage. Despite the limited review reported by many, 92% said they were somewhat or very confident about making Medicare coverage decisions.
Among people who reviewed available options, 25% named a Medicare resource—the website’s plan-finding tool or the Medicare hotline—as their most important information source. Insurance brokers were cited by 26%, health plan websites by 21%, and free local counselors by 5%. The poll reports which source respondents considered most important; it does not establish how accurate or useful each source was for their decisions.
How Plan Choices Affect Older Adults
Medicare coverage choices can shape which doctors and hospitals are in a plan’s network, what prescriptions are covered and how much an enrollee pays. A plan that works well for one person may not fit another person’s health needs, provider preferences or medications. The University of Michigan researchers say those differences can also apply within a couple.
The poll’s figures do not show that people who kept their plans made poor choices, or that switching would have saved them money. They do show that many people made little or no reported review of alternatives, even though plan terms and personal needs can change. The contrast between limited review and high reported confidence may be relevant to enrollees deciding whether to check their coverage again.
Researchers involved in the poll point to free State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselors as one possible source of help. SHIP offers local counseling in every state, and the poll’s finding that only 5% named a free local counselor as their top information source suggests many respondents relied more on brokers or plan websites. The survey does not explain why people chose those sources or whether they knew about SHIP.
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The 2026 Choices Behind the Poll
The poll gathered responses shortly after the last Medicare open enrollment period, when participants were choosing coverage for 2026. Its results describe those respondents’ reported review habits and information sources; they are not a record of every Medicare enrollee’s decisions or a comparison of the plans people selected.
The survey also asked whether respondents had heard about federal policy changes affecting 2026 coverage. Thirty-eight percent had heard of lower prices for 10 high-cost drugs, following Medicare’s new ability to negotiate prices for some prescriptions. Awareness was lower for other changes: 29% knew about changes to prescription drug deductibles and the annual out-of-pocket cap, and 15% had heard that the Plan Finder could show which providers were in network for a Medicare Advantage plan.
Those policy changes can affect what enrollees pay or which providers they can use, but their effects vary by plan and individual circumstances. The poll’s awareness figures measure whether respondents had heard about the changes, not whether they understood them or how the changes affected their personal costs.
“It’s easy to ‘set it and forget it’ with Medicare, especially if you have coverage that you like and assume is the best that’s out there.”
— Geoffrey Hoffman, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
Medicare enrollment assistance tools
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What the Survey Does Not Show
The findings describe reported behavior and confidence, but they do not reveal why 80% kept their coverage, whether those enrollees compared plans in earlier years, or whether their existing coverage remained the best fit. The poll also does not report whether the decisions led to better or worse health outcomes or lower or higher costs.
The source material does not provide the poll’s full sample size, exact field dates, response rate or margin of error. It also does not establish whether respondents who did not review options were unaware of available resources, satisfied with their existing plans or facing other barriers. Those details limit how far the percentages can be generalized beyond the reported sample.
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The 2027 Enrollment Window
The next Medicare open enrollment period, for 2027 coverage, runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2026. The University of Michigan researchers urged older adults to review options, especially if they are unhappy with current coverage, and to seek counseling when needed. Medicare’s Plan Finder and hotline, plan websites, brokers and SHIP counselors are among the sources respondents reported using.
For 2027, the Plan Finder is expected to include 15 additional drugs on the negotiated-price list, according to the source report. The survey itself does not predict how many people will switch plans or whether awareness of coverage changes will rise. The next enrollment period will provide an opportunity for enrollees to compare updated plans against their doctors, prescriptions and expected costs.
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Key Questions
How many older adults spent less than an hour reviewing Medicare options?
Sixty percent of surveyed Medicare enrollees age 65 and older said they spent less than an hour reviewing options for 2026. That includes 27% who did not review options and 33% who spent under an hour reviewing them.
How many respondents kept their previous Medicare coverage?
Eight in 10 respondents said they kept the coverage they had the year before. The poll does not establish whether those plans were the best fit for each person.
When is Medicare open enrollment for 2027 coverage?
The open enrollment period for 2027 Medicare coverage runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2026.
What sources did respondents use to make Medicare decisions?
Among those who reviewed options, 26% named an insurance broker as their most important source, 25% named a Medicare website tool or hotline, 21% named a health plan website, and 5% named a free local counselor.
Does the poll show that people should change plans?
No. The poll reports how much time respondents spent reviewing options and whether they kept their coverage; it does not show that switching would improve coverage or reduce costs. Plan suitability depends on a person’s needs, providers, prescriptions and plan terms.
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