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Savvy Seniors Seeking Medicare Answers With enrollment for the Medicare Prescription Drug Program just weeks away, questions about the effects of the new drug benefit plan are being debated everywhere from the Senate floor to the bingo hall. Pin-pointing exactly how seniors and their caregivers are planning to adopt the new benefit and identifying the tools they are using in the decision-making process is important for the government, pharma and health plan marketers alike. While seniors use many different sources for health information, the Internet is rapidly becoming a tool for the savvy senior. According to the latest consumer analysis from Manhattan Research, the number of U.S. adults 65 years and over searching for health information online grew by 105% over the past four years. Medicare Part D: Evolving Channel Mix for Seniors and Their Support Networks is a new telephone-based research study that segments future enrollees versus those seniors opting-out and looks further into how these groups use the Internet and other communication channels and sources to aid in their decision making. An analysis of seniors' support networks including children who are caring for an elderly parent is included, as are more than 25 therapeutic areas with adequate samples sizes. Other topics explored in the research include:     * The Impact of Direct to Consumer (DTC) Advertising     * Health Information Resources - Online and Offline     * Websites and Other Media Utilization     * Health & Drug Profile     * Online Drug Purchases     * Health Insurance Coverage     * Caregiver Impact Manhattan Research Senior Analyst Erika S. Fishman sees a prime opportunity for Medicare and healthcare providers to reach and educate the relative segments online. "Recent concern over consumer confusion regarding the Medicare.gov Web site is well-founded, as Medicare beneficiaries have become increasingly dependent on the Internet as a health information source," states Erika S. Fishman, Senior Analyst. "The upcoming online enrollment process for the Medicare prescription drug plan can really 'make or break' this dependence going forward -- with a streamlined registration process we'll likely see a continual upward trend in the use of the Internet for health information, but as the site currently stands with defunct online tools and difficult access we may start to see this consumer segment pull away from the online medium for health." Medicare Part D: Evolving Channel Mix for Seniors and Their Support Networks is available to Manhattan Research clients and is available for purchase. To see a list of the therapeutic areas covered, learn more about the methodology and deliverables included with this service or to request more information, please contact Lem Sanders at 212.367.8806 or visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com/medicare.aspx . About Manhattan Research Manhattan Research is the leading provider of research data and insight, laying the foundation for strategic planning at the world's top healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotech and life sciences companies. We help our clients adapt, prosper and explore opportunities in the networked economy by helping them to understand the market forces, trends, and impact of physician and consumer adoption and use of information technology. Manhattan Research is continuously conducting research studies among physicians and consumers, the results of which are syndicated for multi-client consumption. The current studies which are updated annually include Cybercitizen® Health, ePharma Consumer®, Taking the Pulse® and ePharma Physician®. Each study serves a unique purpose and focuses on a different aspect of information technology adoption. The studies are complemented with targeted analyses among more than 30 consumer therapeutic segments and 20 physician specialist segments as well as custom research studies upon demand.     Media Contact:      Erica Alexander      Manhattan Research, LLC      212.255.7799      ealexander@manhattanresearch.com Source: Manhattan Research, LLC All of the above text is a press release provided by the quoted organization. TheMatureMarket.com accepts no responsibility for their accuracy.   By M.B. Date 07-11-2005 Print this article  OTHER ARTICLES UK: ‘Baby gloomers’ unprepared for parents’ retirement care   The Future of Long-Term Care: What Is Its Place in the Health Reform Debate? - US   Co-Housing as a Care Model   Number of Americans with disability growing   Trends in healthy life expectancy in Japan   Do Health Problems Reduce Consumption at Older Ages?   The Future of Living : Independently   A New Minimum Benefit for Low Lifetime Earners   2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures   First Sister Study Results Reinforce the Importance of Healthy Living