Listen to older, wiser heads
New Medicare Law May Sway November Vote
A survey finds almost half of recipients dislike the reform, and 3 in 10 say the issue will affect their presidential pick.
By Vicki Kemper
Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2004
WASHINGTON — Almost half of Medicare recipients dislike the new prescription drug law, and nearly 3 in 10 seniors and disabled persons say the issue will influence their vote for president, according to a national survey released Tuesday.
The survey suggests that there are "maybe a half-million seniors" who might swing their votes to Democratic candidate John F. Kerry and another "1 million to 2 million whose votes might be up for grabs on this issue," said Drew E. Altman, president and chief executive of the private, nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.
Given those numbers, if the race between Kerry and President Bush remains close, seniors' views of the Medicare law could be a decisive factor in the Nov. 2 election, said Robert J. Blendon, a professor of health policy at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The national survey of 1,223 Medicare beneficiaries, conducted by the Kaiser foundation and the Harvard school shortly before last month's Democratic National Convention, indicated that 47% of Medicare recipients had an unfavorable view of the law, while 26% had a favorable view.
