Coverage Concerns for Older Americans.

• Position: HEALTH CARE

Forty-five percent of Americans ages 50 to 64 say they have little or no confidence that they will be able to afford health coverage once they retire, and 27% are unsure they would be able to afford coverage over the next year. One in 10 indicate they even thought about going without health insurance for 2019, maintains a poll by the University of Michigan's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, Ann Arbor.

An additional 19% in this age group say they decided to stay in their current job rather than change jobs or retire, just to keep their job-related coverage. For those who changed coverage for 2019, 15% say they postponed medical procedures until their new coverage kicked in, while eight percent of those in their early 60s are putting off medical procedures until they are eligible for Medicare at age 65.

"As people age into the years when many chronic diseases begin to take hold and when they're still years away from Medicare coverage, ifs important to talk with someone knowledgeable about all the options for coverage to bring down out-of-pocket costs and better navigate health care in this critical period," says general internist and health researcher RenukaTipirneni.

Nearly two-thirds of those polled say their health...