FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2026 — Medical coverage might be one of the biggest decisions facing seniors, affecting both their finances and their health.

Despite that, most seniors do little to no research before choosing their annual Medicare coverage, according to new findings from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging.

About 3 out of 5 seniors (60%) spend less than an hour before choosing their Medicare coverage during open enrollment, poll results show.

That includes more than a quarter (27%) who didn’t spend any time looking over their options, and one-third (33%) who spent less than an hour researching their choice, the poll found.

Overall, 4 out of 5 seniors (80%) simply stuck with their Medicare coverage from the previous year.

Folks could be missing out on opportunities to save money or get better coverage by not investigating their Medicare options more fully, said Geoffrey Hoffman, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing who worked with the poll team.

“It’s easy to ‘set it and forget it’ with Medicare, especially if you have coverage that you like and assume is the best that’s out there,” Hoffman said in a news release. “The number of choices, and the tools for navigating them, can also be confusing, but there may be coverage that better suits your needs and wallet.”

Of those who took the time to review their options, 25% said the most important source they consulted came from Medicare itself — either the plan-finding tool on the Medicare website or the Medicare hotline.

Another 26% cited an insurance broker as their most important source of information, and 21% pointed to a health plan website.

Only 5% said the most important source was a free local counselor, such as those offered by the federally funded State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) that’s available in every state, the poll found.

“It’s important to ask for help if you need it, including the SHIP counselors in your area who many people don’t realize are available and do not have a financial stake in what you choose,” Hoffman said.

Most Medicare enrollees also hadn’t heard about major changes made to the program during 2026:

• Only 38% had heard of lower prices for 10 high-cost drugs thanks to Medicare’s new ability to negotiate prices with pharma companies for some prescription meds.

• Only 29% were aware of an increase in the deductible and out-of-pocket cap for Medicare prescription drug plans.

• Just 15% had heard of a new Plan Finder that helps see which doctors are “in network” by a given Medicare Advantage plan.

This lack of awareness cut across topics that poll participants otherwise rated as highly important to them, the team noted.

“When we asked our poll respondents to choose from a list of factors that mattered most to them when making their Medicare choices, the top choice was out-of-pocket costs, chosen by 69%, followed closely by medication coverage at 63%, and network coverage of their healthcare providers at 62%,” poll director Dr. Jeffrey Kullgren said in a news release.

People also need to review their options because plans available one year might not be there the next, Kullgren added.

“We know that Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plan options are changing across the country as insurance companies make business decisions about what they offer and where they offer it,” Kullgren said. “That makes it especially important to check all options carefully every year.”

The poll included 1,796 U.S. seniors ages 65 to 98. The margin of error is 1 to 2 percentage points.

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more on State Health Insurance Assistance Programs.

SOURCES: University of Michigan, news release, Oct. 15, 2026; University of Michigan, National Poll on Healthy Aging, October 2026