Home › For Citizens › Issue Guides: Medicare › Red Flags

ISSUE GUIDES: Medicare

PUBLIC VIEW: RED FLAGS

The Red Flags section offers guidance on areas of public opinion research where findings may be misleading, unstable, or easily misinterpreted. Public Agenda uses several indicators to judge when survey results should be reported and used cautiously.

Red Flag Statements

Fear and a Lack of Realism

Recent surveys show that a large majority of the public is afraid Medicare will not be there for them when they retire and that major change is needed. Beyond this fear, however, surveys reveal some murky and unrealistic thinking on the part of the public. For one thing, Americans are more likely to attribute rising health care costs, one of Medicare's fundamental problems, to drug and insurance company profits than to the aging of the population or to new and expensive drugs and treatments. Few concrete proposals for Medicare enjoy widespread support. An overwhelming majority are opposed to reduced benefits for recipients or cutting back on spending. When forced to choose, most people prefer to spread the sacrifices equally among workers, employers and retirees. (See also Federal Budget.)

  • Americans are opposed to requiring seniors to pay more out-of-pocket costs, cutting back on the prescription drug benefit...
  • Half of Americans say the aging population and new treatments are major factors in rising health care costs but aren't as...
  • Majorities say they are opposed to cutting Medicare spending and slowing its rate of growth in order to help reduce the deficit
  • More than half of Americans say the country is "losing ground" when it comes to Medicare's financial state, and 7 in 10 say...
  • Six in 10 Americans favor making up the future Medicare deficit equally by increased payroll taxes on workers and employers...
  • Six in 10 Americans say they are "very concerned" that Medicare will not be available when they retire, and few say they're...

Public Agenda uses several indicators to judge when survey results should be reported and used cautiously:

  • Results change when survey questions are reworded slightly.
  • Results change when implications or trade-offs of a policy are pointed out.
  • Results may be misleading if reported in isolation or out of context.
  • Other research suggests that people have incomplete or inaccurate knowledge in this area.