55% of Medicare Beneficiaries Now Express Low Confidence in Government Response to Coronavirus, eHealth Survey Finds

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new survey of more than 2,700 Medicare beneficiaries released today by eHealth, Inc. EHTH (eHealth.com), a majority (55%) now express either "low confidence" or "no confidence" in the government's response to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, compared to 34% in April.

eHealth's survey also found that 58% of Medicare beneficiaries feel more should be done to protect people at increased risk from the virus. Four in ten (40%) feel that coronavirus-related restrictions on everyday life should be stronger, though responses vary by state – for example, 53% of respondents from Florida feel that restrictions should be stronger, compared to 28% of Pennsylvanians.

"Many Medicare beneficiaries are themselves among those at increased risk from the coronavirus, which makes it doubly important to listen to their concerns on this issue," said eHealth CEO Scott Flanders. "Our survey shows that while many of them are getting out more often these days, their concerns about our nation's ability to stamp out the disease have only increased. We also found that Medicare beneficiaries' experience during the pandemic crisis may lead to lifestyle changes that persist even after the threat is gone."

Additional highlights from eHealth's survey:

• Medicare beneficiaries are leaving home more often these days: 41% say they leave the house 3 or more times per week, compared to 19% in April.
• Lifestyles of many Medicare beneficiaries may change permanently due to coronavirus: 68% say they will be less likely to go on a cruise after the coronavirus crisis is over; 53% will be less likely to visit an amusement park; 49% will be less likely to fly on an airplane.
• If coronavirus is still a threat in November, most Medicare beneficiaries would prefer to vote by mail: 65% of voters said they would prefer to vote by mail in November; 35% would prefer to vote at a polling place.

Read the full report.

eHealth's findings are based on a voluntary survey of Medicare beneficiaries who purchased Medicare health insurance products through eHealth. The survey was conducted between July 20 and 21, 2020, and a total of 2,761 responses were collected.

About eHealth

eHealth, Inc. EHTH operates a leading health insurance marketplace at eHealth.com and eHealthMedicare.com with a technology and service platform that provides consumer engagement, education and health insurance enrollment solutions. Our mission is to connect every person with the highest quality, most affordable health insurance and Medicare plans for their life circumstances. Our platform integrates proprietary and third-party developed educational content regarding health insurance plans with decision support tools to aid consumers in what has traditionally been a confusing and opaque health insurance purchasing process, and to help them obtain the health insurance products that meet their individual health and economic needs. Our omni-channel consumer engagement platform is designed to meet the consumer wherever they prefer to engage with us, and enables consumers to use our services online, through interactive chat, or by telephone with a licensed insurance agent. We have created a marketplace that offers consumers a broad choice of insurance products that include thousands of Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D prescription drug, individual and family, small business and other ancillary health insurance products from over 180 health insurance carriers across all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

For media inquiries, please contact:          

Sande Drew  
DMA Communications for eHealth, Inc.
(916) 207-7674
sande.drew@gmail.com

James Chisum
Media Consultant
(562) 493-6023
JamesC@millergeer.com

SOURCE eHealth, Inc.