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Journal of Applied Gerontology, Vol. 25, No. 1, 49-64 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0733464805283627

Effects of Reading Habits, Reading Comprehension, and Memory Beliefs on Older Adults' Knowledge About Medicare

Carla M. Bann

RTI International

Ute J. Bayen

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lauren A. McCormack

Jennifer D. Uhrig

RTI International

Medicare provides insurance coverage for almost 35 million older Americans. To ensure that Medicare beneficiaries can make informed health insurance decisions, they need to understand their coverage and remain current with policy changes and new legislation that affect the Medicare program. This study explored whether reading habits and metamemory are related to older adults'knowledge of two primary components of the Medicare program, original Medicare and Medicare managed care (MMC). The sample included 1,111 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who participated in the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Regression analyses indicated that reading habits and metamemory significantly predicted Medicare knowledge, even after controlling for education, time spent reading Medicare educational materials, and other variables previously found to be associated with knowledge. Results varied according to the type of knowledge measured, possibly due to greater cognitive functioning required to understand MMC plans.

Key Words: Medicare • memory • reading habits • insurance knowledge


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