ArticleBMC health services research2021
Seniors don't use Medicare.Gov: how do eligible beneficiaries obtain information about Medicare Advantage Plans in the United States?
Article in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Quantifying Consumer Interest in Medicare Advantage: Development and Usability Study Using Google Trends Data.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- Addressing complexity: The development and pilot testing of a user-friendly Medicare Part D patient decision aid tool.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2025Article
- Accuracy of Medicare Information Provided by State Health Insurance Assistance Programs.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Estimating financial and health burden by initial Medicare plan choice and history of cancer.Health affairs scholar · 2025Article
- Medicare Resource Use Differs by English Reading Proficiency.Innovation in aging · 2025Article
- Contract Termination and Insurance Enrollment Among Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Comparing Medicare plan selection among beneficiaries with and without a history of cancer.Health affairs scholar · 2024Article
- Medicare Advantage enrollment by immigration and English proficiency status.The American journal of managed care · 2023Article
- Potentially More Out of Reach: Public Reporting Exacerbates Inequities in Home Health Access.The Milbank quarterly · 2023Article
- A digital divide in the COVID-19 pandemic: information exchange among older Medicare beneficiaries and stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Variations in Medicare Advantage Switching Rates Among African American and Hispanic Medicare Beneficiaries With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias, by Sex and Dual Eligibility.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundManaged care programs in the US are becoming a preferred alternative among low-income individuals in the US. Every year during open enrollment, seniors can enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA) or switch MA plans. However, there is very limited information about how seniors obtain information to help them make their choices. 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.
methodsThe purpose of the present study was to qualitatively explore how seniors obtain information about insurance plans in MA. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 MA beneficiaries from Rhode Island.
resultsWe found that most seniors have strong preferences for obtaining information in-person regarding benefits, cost and other plan information. Some seniors relied heavily on insurance brokers or representatives, and considered the information provided to them without questioning the potential for bias. Others consulted with family and/or friends for guidance, or to compare costs and benefits. 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. However, among those who used and appeared to be comfortable with navigating the internet, www.medicare.gov was not discussed as a useful resource for making decisions regarding health insurance.
conclusionsThis 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.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.