Medicare & Medicaid Statistic # 336 The Health Confidence Survey (HCS) found that "...60 percent of workers who expect to receive both retiree benefits and to retire before age 65 would not retire before becoming eligible for Medicare if their former employer or union did not provide retiree health benefits."(p. 2) Employee Benefit Research Institute. (2002, September 25). 2002 Health confidence survey: confidence & satisfaction in health care system show little change over time, but Americans still worry about its future. (News Release). Washington, DC: Christensen, R., Fronstin, P., Jaffe, J. “This year’s HCS is the fifth round of an annual survey to assess attitudes regarding the U.S. health care system...the 2002 HCS finds: Americans are more likely now than in 1998 to identify health care as a critical national issue, and more are dissatisfied now than in 1998 with the costs of health insurance and health care not covered by insurance." Medicare & Medicaid Statistic # 1710 According to the 2005 National Health Interview Survey, among persons ages 18-44, 67% are covered by private health insurance and 24% are uninsured; 10% have Medicaid or other coverage. For ages 45-64, 77% have private coverage, 13% are uninsured, and 10% have Medicaid or other coverage. For persons over 65 years of age, 59% have private coverage [in addition to Medicare], 28% have Medicare only, 6.3% have both Medicaid and Medicare, and 1% are uninsured. (p. 7) Adams, P. F., Dey, A. N., & Vickerie, J. L. (2007). Summary health statistics for the U.S. population: National health interview survey, 2005. Vital and health statistics.Series 10, Data from the National Health Survey(233), 1-104. NHIS is a household, multistage probability sample survey conducted annually by interviewers of the U.S. Census Bureau for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. In 2005, household interviews were completed for 98,649 persons living in 38,509 households, reflecting a household response rate of 86.5%. This paper reflects the survey's findings.