Effect of communication disability on satisfaction with health care: A survey of Medicare beneficiaries

Purpose: To examine the prevalence and characteristics of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries reporting a communication disability and the relationship between that disability and dissatisfaction with medical care. Method: A total of 12,769 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey respondents age 65 and older in 2001 were categorized by level of communication disability. Sampling weights were used to make inferences about the entire Medicare population. Results: Over 16 million beneficiaries reported a communication disability. Hearing problems were most commonly reported (41.99%). The association between dissatisfaction and communication disability was statistically significant (p <= 05) for 8 of 10 items. Conclusions: Prevalence of dissatisfaction among those with a communication disability varied, ranging from 3.43% to 19.34%. Respondents with a communication disability reported much more dissatisfaction when compared with those respondents without a communication disability.