New Poll Reveals Seniors Unaware of Upcoming Rate and Plan Changes in Medicare

Silverlink-Suffolk University Poll Shows Major Disconnect Between Seniors`
Expectations and the Reality of 2010 Plan Year Changes in Medicare

Most Seniors Express High Degree of Satisfaction with Current Health Plan
Benefits
BOSTON & BURLINGTON, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
Seniors in the U.S. are overwhelmingly satisfied with their current Medicare
coverage, according to a survey released today by Silverlink Communications and
Suffolk University in Boston. Of the more than 2,600 Medicare beneficiaries
surveyed, more than 94% indicate that they are satisfied with their coverage,
with just 6% expressing dissatisfaction. These same Seniors express a fair
amount of optimism that their health plan benefits will stay the same (55%) or
improve (12%) in 2010 - with only one-third thinking that their health plan
benefits will get worse next year. As a result, many (85%) are not currently
considering switching health plans this year.

"Judging from the reaction from the recent healthcare Town Hall meetings, we
expect a very vocal Medicare population in October when the 11 million
beneficiaries on Medicare Advantage start getting information on how their
benefits and premiums will change in 2010," said Donna Burtanger, Senior
Director of Medicare Solutions, at Silverlink Communications. "Our work with
Medicare plans confirms that significant changes to rates and plan structure are
in store for many beneficiaries, stemming from the well-publicized federal
reduction in reimbursements to Medicare plans earlier this year. Based on our
research, it is clear that most Medicare beneficiaries don`t expect the changes
that are coming for the 2010 plan year. Many may even be blindsided by what they
see," she added.

Burtanger warned that these circumstances could lead to an extremely tumultuous
open enrollment period this Fall when Medicare recipients, who indicate that
out-of-pocket costs are the most important criteria for choosing a plan, are
likely to be shocked and anxious over rate increases and other plan changes. She
added, "Communication and education efforts are more imperative than ever this
year to make sure Medicare beneficiaries understand all available options."

The survey also polled Medicare recipients on healthcare reform. Despite high
levels of satisfaction and relatively strong amounts of optimism, nearly half of
Medicare recipients polled (48%) say they do not believe the Obama
administration is looking out for their best interests when it comes to
healthcare reform. The remaining are split, with 28% believing the
administration is looking out for them and 24% unsure.

David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center,
commented: "There`s an interesting split in those trusting the current reform
efforts and those who are uncertain or doubtful of these efforts. We see that
wealthier and more educated Medicare recipients tend to be less optimistic about
their interests being considered in the reform process, while those in the
Northeast are more positive than other regions on healthcare reform."

The Silverlink-Suffolk University Medicare Beneficiary Insights poll asked
Medicare recipients a variety of questions to better understand satisfaction
with their current health plan coverage, whether they were considering switching
plans for the 2010 plan year, what were important factors in choosing a plan,
and whether they thought their benefits would change in the coming year. Other
questions probed how much time would be spent researching health plans and what
sources are viewed as trustworthy when researching health plan options. Finally,
the survey asked about the current administration and healthcare reform.

The following insights highlight the key findings of the survey.

* There is an extremely high level of satisfaction (94%) among Medicare
beneficiaries relative to their current health plan coverage. This holds true
for those enrolled in traditional Medicare as well as those enrolled in Medicare
Advantage plans.
* The vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries (85%) are not currently planning
to switch plans this year and the majority will spend minimal time (two hours or
less) researching health plan options. This is, by and large, the same amount of
time as in previous years.
* There is no single "trusted" source for Medicare recipients as they research
health plan options. Doctors and interest groups (e.g. AARP) are the two most
popular trusted sources, while health plan websites are not generally a trusted
source.
* A majority (55%) of Medicare beneficiaries believe their health benefits will
stay the same in 2010. One-third anticipate that their benefits will worsen.
* Almost half (48%) of the Medicare beneficiaries do not believe that the Obama
administration has their best interests in mind as it considers healthcare
reform.
* Out-of-pocket costs are the single most important factor (26% of those
surveyed) when choosing a health plan.
* Medicare recipients do not use the Internet pervasively to search for health
information. Only 26% indicate that they have used the Internet for this
purpose.

Several interesting insights emerge when the data are cut by demographic
variables, including age, gender, region, income and education. The complete
results of this survey including all crosstabs and frequencies are available for
download at the Suffolk University website at
http://www.suffolk.edu/research/37139.html.

HealthPulse Survey Methodology

The Medicare Beneficiary Insights poll is the second in a series of HealthPulse
surveys conducted in partnership between Suffolk University and Silverlink
Communications. Data was collected on July 14, 15, and 17, 2009, from 2,628
adults across the United States. The sample was drawn from a list of 50,000 U.S.
citizens. The survey data is weighted to be representative of the U.S. 65+
population as described in the U.S. Census Bureau`s 2008 Current Population
Survey. This research continues the ongoing pursuit of healthcare consumer
insights by Suffolk University and Silverlink Communications.

The 95% confidence interval for overall results is no more than 1.91% in either
direction from what would have been obtained by polling all American adults. For
smaller subgroups, the margin of sampling error is larger. In addition to
sampling error, the practical difficulties of conducting any survey of public
opinion may introduce other sources of error into the poll.

About Silverlink

Silverlink knows the healthcare consumer - and we know every point of contact
offers a chance to impact their behavior. Our solutions are trusted by 80 of the
nation`s largest and most influential health plans, pharmacy benefit managers,
and population health companies to build stronger relationships with consumers
and dramatically lower costs.

Silverlink`s unique approach combines real-time consumer interactions,
behavioral insights and process innovation to unlock the value that consumers
represent in healthcare`s complex cost equation. To learn more about what makes
Silverlink the leader in healthcare consumer communications, please visit
www.silverlink.com, email info@silverlink.com, or call 1.781.425.5700.

About Suffolk University

Suffolk University, located on Boston`s historic Beacon Hill, with campuses in
Madrid and Dakar, Senegal (Africa), is a comprehensive global institution
distinguished by its teaching and the intellectual contributions of its faculty.
Suffolk offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in more than
70 areas of study. Its mission is to provide quality education at a reasonable
cost for students of all ages and backgrounds, with strong emphasis on
diversity.

Silverlink is a registered trademark of Silverlink Communications Inc. All other
brand and product names contained in this release may be trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Silverlink
Susan Frankle, 617-642-8219
Director of Corporate Communications
sfrankle@silverlink.com
or
Suffolk University
Greg Gatlin, 617-573-8428
Director of Public Affairs
ggatlin@suffolk.edu

Copyright Business Wire 2009