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Survey: Boomers Worry About Medicare’s Future, Want More Details From Candidates

A new AARP survey suggests that baby boomers aren’t confident they can retire as planned – or that they will have access to Medicare when they do.

The organization asked registered voters, including an oversample of people age 50-plus, about their five top financial concerns to measure what they call an “Anxiety Index.” Health expenses ranked fourth on the list of concerns after rising prices, taxes and financial security in retirement.

While 95 percent of the voters age 50 plus said Medicare was critical to maintaining senior health, only 41 percent of this group said they were somewhat or very confident that it would exist for them and future generations upon retirement.

Sixty-three percent of voters 50 or older said presidential candidates haven’t adequately explained their plans for reforming Medicare – a plan that 91 percent agreed would require cooperation between Republicans and Democrats.

The poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates and GS Strategy Group for AARP, surveyed 1,852 registered voters, including an oversample of 1,331 age 50-plus, between July 10-16. The poll has a margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points for the overall sample and +/- 2.7 percentage points for the sample of voters age 50 and older.

The survey was featured as part of AARP’s “You’ve Earned a Say” campaign, an effort to “protect and strengthen” both Medicare and Social Security.  As part of this campaign, the group began airing TV spots last month.  The ads don’t contain an explicit political message, but they make it clear that the group intends to be active during the campaign season.

Watch the AARP television ad below.