Fourth Annual National Medicare Education Week Helps Fight Medicare Confusion

UnitedHealthcare is launching a series of new online learning tools for this year’s National Medicare Education Week (Sept. 15-21), building on its campaign to reduce Medicare confusion.

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National Medicare Education Week offers educational events and resources to baby boomers, Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers. According to a UnitedHealthcare survey, more than 1 in 5 beneficiaries describe Medicare as “confusing,” and 70 percent of people approaching Medicare eligibility say they have a “fair” or “poor” understanding of the program.¹

New digital components of National Medicare Education Week this year include:

• Online Medicare education courses in English and Spanish at MedicareMadeClear.com and SolucionesdeMedicare.com, respectively, featuring videos and quizzes. The courses are organized into chapters, enabling people to learn at their own pace.
• Later this fall, MedicareMadeClear.com will be available in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Polish in order to help more people learn in their preferred language.
• UnitedHealthcare will host a Facebook Q&A (www.facebook.com/medicaremadeclear/events) session Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 3 to 7 p.m. CT, where beneficiaries and their loved ones can get answers to their Medicare questions in real-time.
• A new plan selection tool on MedicareMadeClear.com will help older adults assess what type of Medicare plan might be right for them based on information they enter.

In addition, National Medicare Education Week’s popular event series is back. UnitedHealthcare will host events in more than 10 cities, including Spanish-language events in Los Angeles and San Antonio. At the events, local UnitedHealthcare representatives will present information and answer some of the most common Medicare questions. Ninety-seven percent of last year’s event attendees said that their understanding of Medicare improved as a result of participating in National Medicare Education Week. To see the list of 2015 events and register, visit NMEW.com.

“Health care decisions can be difficult, but choosing the right Medicare coverage doesn’t have to be a hassle if you take steps to arm yourself with knowledge and information,” said Steve Nelson of UnitedHealthcare. “We hope that our expanded educational offerings will connect more people than ever to the Medicare information they need, so older Americans and caregivers will feel empowered during the Medicare Open Enrollment Period this fall.”

National Medicare Education Week occurs one month before the start of Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment Period (Oct. 15-Dec. 7). Supporters include: AARP, the Caregiver Action Network, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), Walgreens, Albertsons and Safeway, as well as local health care providers, senior centers and other organizations nationwide.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 850,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

Plans are insured through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or one of its affiliated companies, a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract and a Medicare- approved Part D sponsor. Enrollment in the plan depends on the plan’s contract renewal with Medicare.

¹ Medicare Made Clear Index, 2013

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