Many Older Adults Cannot Find Most Beneficial Prescription Drug Plan on Medicare Web Site, Study Finds

About three-fourths of older adults with basic computer skills could not find the most beneficial prescription drug plan on the Medicare Web site, and could not take the necessary steps to enroll to receive home health care services, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The study -- conducted by Sara Czaja, co-director of the Center on Aging at the University of Miami Medical School, and colleagues -- included 112 adults ages 50 and older from Broward and Miami-Dade counties in Florida, each of whom had at least 14 years of education and basic computer skills.

Study participants received brief training on the Medicare Web site before researchers asked them to find the most beneficial prescription drug plan among various plans listed on the site. Researchers analyzed the computer activity logs of participants and found that they often could not understand the technical language or navigate the pages of the Web site. In addition, some participants did not search the Web site adequately to find the information that they needed to select a prescription drug plan, the study found. Some participants ended their searches before they visited the 10 or more pages needed to find the information, according to the study.

Czaja said, "There are some problems ... some design features with the site that make it difficult for people to use, and they can't get the maximum value out of it," adding, "Some of them just gave up trying."

In a response to the study, Jeff Nelligan, a CMS spokesperson, said that the Web site receives more than one million visitors daily and that the agency conducted focus groups before the launch of the site in 2005. Nelligan said, "We've worked hard to organize and format our quality 'compare' tools ... in a consumer-friendly manner by conducting both qualitative and quantitative research of the Web site tools with multiple audiences," adding, "More research is probably needed to assess the usability of the site, and should be performed by people who have a basic understanding of the size and complexity of the program" (LaMendola, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 8/20).

An extract of the study is available online.