Choosing Medicare Coverage: Older Michiganders’ Views and Experiences

This year, more than two million Michiganders will have the opportunity to make Medicare coverage decisions that can greatly affect their healthcare and finances. But comparing and choosing among Medicare coverage options during Open Enrollment (from October 15 to December 7) can be challenging, especially as plans, policies, and coverage change from year to year.

In December 2025 and January 2026, the Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging asked a sample of Michigan adults age 65 and older about their satisfaction with Medicare coverage, recent experiences with Open Enrollment, understanding of Medicare topics, and awareness of 2026 Medicare policy changes.

What we learned from older Michiganders 

Satisfaction with Medicare coverage  

Nearly all Michigan adults age 65 and older with Medicare coverage in 2025 (96%) said they were at least somewhat satisfied with their Medicare coverage (64% very satisfied; 31% somewhat satisfied), while 3% were somewhat dissatisfied and 1% were very dissatisfied.  

Experiences with Medicare’s Open Enrollment  

• In all, 27% of Michigan adults age 65 and older with any form of Medicare coverage in 2026 said they did not review their 2026 Medicare coverage options before or during Medicare’s Open Enrollment period. Meanwhile, 35% reviewed for less than an hour, and 38% reviewed for more than an hour.  
   
• The majority of older Michiganders enrolled in Medicare in 2026 (78%) did not make changes to their Medicare coverage from the previous year, while 22% did.
   
• Older Michiganders who reviewed or changed their 2026 Medicare coverage reported reviewing or changing for the following reasons:  
  • Like to review their options (60%)  
  • Thought another plan might be better (27%)  
  • Current plan changed or was discontinued or terminated (19%)  
  • Premiums or out-of-pocket costs were too high (12%)  
  • Medications were not covered or too expensive (9%)
     
• Older Michiganders who did not review their 2026 Medicare coverage said they did not review for the following reasons:    
  • Satisfied with their 2025 coverage (79%)  
  • Plan was chosen for them by their employer or union (26%)  
  • Did not think they could find anything better (20%)  
  • Believed process is too complicated or time-consuming (12%)  
     
• When asked to choose their one most important source of information when reviewing or choosing among 2026 Medicare coverage options, older Michiganders reported:    
  • An insurance broker or agent (33%)  
  • Medicare.gov Plan Finder or 1-800-Medicare (18%)  
  • A health plan website (17%)  
  • Free, local health insurance counseling, including through the MI Options program (7%)
  • Advertising or marketing materials (TV, radio, direct mailing, phone call) (3%)  
     
• The factors that mattered most to older Michiganders when considering their Medicare coverage options were:   
  • Out-of-pocket costs (74%)  
  • Network coverage of their healthcare providers (62%)  
  • Coverage for medications (62%)  
  • Monthly premium (59%)  
  • Extra benefits (such as dental, wellness, health products, or meals) (47%)
  • Ease of use (43%)  
     
• Most older Michiganders (84%) said it was very or somewhat easy for them to compare their Medicare coverage options (33% very easy, 51% somewhat easy), while 12% found it somewhat difficult, and 4% said it was very difficult.  
   
• Overall, 35% of older Michiganders reported at least one challenge when choosing their 2026 Medicare coverage. The most common challenges included difficulty reviewing or comparing information about costs, networks, and benefits (reported by 15%), having too many choices (13%), and challenges with estimating total costs of coverage (i.e., premiums plus out-of-pocket costs) (12%).
   
• Overall, 92% of older Michiganders felt at least somewhat confident in making decisions about their Medicare coverage (49% very confident; 43% somewhat confident), while 7% were not very confident, and 1% were not at all confident.
   

Understanding of Medicare and health insurance topics  

• The poll asked Michigan adults age 65 and older with any form of Medicare coverage about their understanding of key topics related to Medicare and health insurance broadly.
   
  • 88% said they have at least some understanding (47% a lot, 41% some) of Medicare enrollment periods and options, whereas 12% reported understanding a little or nothing.
     
  • 79% said they have at least some understanding (29% a lot, 49% some) of key terms, such as “premium,” “cost-sharing,” “star rating,” “prior authorization,” and “coverage denial,” whereas 21% reported understanding a little or nothing.
     
  • 69% said they have at least some understanding (26% a lot, 43% some) of supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage plans, such as transportation, food and meal programs, and caregiver support, whereas 31% reported understanding a little or nothing.
     
• Some older Michiganders with Medicare said they had heard of the following changes to Medicare in 2026:
  • Lower prices for 10 high-cost drugs (e.g., Januvia, Novolog) (33%)  
  • Higher deductibles and spending caps for prescription drug plans (26%)  
  • Some Medicare Advantage plans limiting offerings of supplemental and nonmedical benefits (24%)
  • Medicare.gov Plan Finder making it easier to find in-network providers (9%)  
  • Auto-renewals in Medicare prescription drug payment plans (9%)
  • Introduction of prior authorizations in traditional Medicare for some procedures in some states (8%)  
     
• 41% of older Michiganders with Medicare had not heard of any of these changes.

Awareness of the Michigan MI Options program

• When asked about their awareness of the Michigan MI Options program, 2% of Michigan adults age 65 and older had heard of the program and used it, 14% had heard of it but not used it, and 84% had never heard of it.

Explore more findings through this interactive data dashboard.  

How Michigan compares with the rest of the country  

• Overall, Michiganders age 65 and above had similar responses to their peers in other states for nearly all poll questions about Medicare coverage, with a few notable differences.  
   
• Compared with older adults in other states, older adults in Michigan more often said they did not review their 2026 Medicare coverage because their plan was chosen for them by their employer or union (26% in Michigan vs. 15% in the rest of the U.S.).
   
• Older adults in Michigan more often said that having too many choices was a challenge for them when choosing their 2026 Medicare coverage (13% in Michigan vs. 9% in the rest of the U.S.).
   
• Older Michiganders more often said they had not heard of any of the six changes to Medicare policy in 2026 that the poll asked about (41% in Michigan vs. 34% in the rest of the U.S.).  

Implications  

Poll results show that most adults age 65 and older in Michigan were satisfied with their 2025 Medicare coverage, and this satisfaction was the leading reason why a quarter of older Michiganders did not review their options during 2026 Open Enrollment. Most older Michiganders did not change their Medicare coverage. While 33% relied on insurance brokers as their most important source of information when reviewing or choosing among 2026 Medicare coverage options, fewer (25%) identified Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or free local counseling programs, including through the state’s MI Options program, as their most important source of information.  

Although most older Michiganders felt confident making Medicare decisions and found plans easy to compare, many reported limited understanding of key insurance terms, and 41% were unaware of any of the six 2026 Medicare policy changes that the poll asked about. Because plan costs, benefits, provider networks, and prescription drug coverage can change annually, reviewing coverage each year remains important, even for satisfied Medicare enrollees. Providing unbiased education and decision-making support may help older Michiganders make more informed choices that better meet their healthcare and financial needs and goals.  

Resources  

• Medicare’s website has a plan-finding tool to explore options available to each person, including comparing costs for different parts of Medicare. You can also call the Medicare hotline at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) with specific questions. Information is available in different languages.  
   
• Michigan’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), formerly known as the Michigan Medicare Assistance Program (MMAP) and currently part of the MI Options program, is the state’s publicly funded, impartial resource for Medicare guidance. Staff and trained volunteers help individuals review their options by phone and at in-person sessions, such as those held at public libraries and senior centers. All SHIP services are free. You can reach SHIP by calling 1-800-803-7174 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also check with your local senior center or Area Agency on Aging for more information on Medicare counseling.  
   
• Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan’s academic medical center, put together a video on how to compare Medicare prescription drug plans and find the right one for you.
   
• In addition to Open Enrollment from October 15 to December 7, Medicare offers specialized enrollment periods during the year, including Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment from January 1 to March 31 for current Medicare Advantage enrollees.  

About the poll  

Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging findings come from a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. These survey questions were administered online and by phone in December 2025 and January 2026 to 608 community-dwelling Michigan adults age 65 to 93, with 219 from the AmeriSpeak probability-based panel and 389 from non-probability panels. The national analysis is based on a national, non-Michigan sample of 1,577 community-dwelling U.S. adults age 65 to 98 from the AmeriSpeak panel. Results are weighted to reflect the 65+ population in Michigan and nationally.  

The Michigan poll is supported by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center.  

Read past Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging reports and national findings, explore Michigan poll data, and learn about the poll methodology.  

Citation  

University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging Team. Choosing Medicare Coverage: Older Michiganders’ Views and Experience. Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging. October 2026. Available at https://michmed.org/GY97B

Rona Fang-Yu Hu, MS, a senior statistician at Michigan Medicine, also contributed to the development of the poll questions for this report.