A recent poll reveals that many older adults in the U.S. dedicate minimal time to researching Medicare options before selecting their annual health coverage.
According to a National Poll on Healthy Aging conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, three out of five seniors spend less than an hour reviewing their Medicare choices during Open Enrollment. This statistic includes 33 percent of respondents who took less than an hour and 27 percent who didn’t examine their options at all.
An IHPI representative did not provide comments ahead of publication.
The findings highlight the importance of careful consideration for seniors, particularly those unhappy with their current plans. Geoffrey Hoffman, an associate professor at the University of Michigan and IHPI member, emphasized this need in the poll’s announcement.
“It’s tempting to just set your Medicare coverage and forget it, especially if you’re happy with what you have. But the available choices—and figuring out how to navigate them—can be overwhelming. There could be better options available that fit your needs and budget,” Hoffman noted.
The survey indicates that 80 percent of seniors opted to stay with their Medicare policies from the previous year. Among those who took the time to review their options, a quarter used the Medicare plan-finding tool or hotline during Open Enrollment. Notably, this year’s Open Enrollment period for all aspects of 2027 Medicare coverage runs from October 15 to December 7.
Open Enrollment commenced on the same day the poll results were released.
The poll results stem from data collected by NORC at the University of Chicago for IHPI between December 30, 2025, and January 12, 2026. The survey was conducted online and over the phone with a random sample of 3,194 adults aged 50 to 98. The completion rate was 73 percent, and the margin of error was between 1 to 2 percentage points for the questions posed. Specific results originated from a subsample of 1,796 adults and were adjusted to represent the population aged 65 and older.
