Doctors top source for Medicare drug information.(Practice Trends)

WASHINGTON -- Older patients are choosing their physician over the telephone or using electronic resources to help them understand the complexities of the new prescription drug law.

Many beneficiaries don't understand what the new law does, and many are not comfortable looking for information about it on the Internet, Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said during the annual conference of the National Academy of Social Insurance.

In a Kaiser Family Foundation poll of more than 1,200 adults, only 13% of respondents said they understood the new law very well.

More than half of the respondents (53%) said they did not have enough information about the law to understand how it would impact them personally.

The poll was conducted in December 2004 and included responses from 237 adults aged 65 years and older and 953 adults aged 18-64.

In a question specifically addressed to seniors, respondents were asked what sources they would turn to for help. The majority (38%) said they'd ask for their physician's counsel, in deciding whether or not to enroll in a Medicare drug plan, Mr. Altman said during the meeting.

Seniors also cited Medicare offices, Web sites, or phone number (31%); pharmacists (30%); and health insurance companies (25%) as consultation sources for the new drug benefit.