UnitedHealthcare Launches National Medicare Education Week to Help Make Health Care Coverage Choices Easier for Baby Boomers and Medicare Beneficiaries

• Company hosts educational events in more than 50 cities and opens retail stores to encourage baby boomers, Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers to learn more about Medicare during National Medicare Education Week, Sept. 15-22

MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Building on its award-winning Medicare Made Clear™ education program, UnitedHealthcare is launching National Medicare Education Week, Sept. 15-22, to encourage baby boomers and Medicare beneficiaries as well as their families, friends and caregivers to learn more about their health care coverage options.¹

“National Medicare Education Week is a time right before enrollment for millions of people to learn more about Medicare and how to find the coverage that best fits their health needs and budgets.”

With more than 10 million members enrolled in its Medicare plans, UnitedHealthcare is the largest company dedicated to the health and well-being needs of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries.

National Medicare Education Week kicks off exactly one month before the start of the Medicare Open Enrollment Period (Oct. 15-Dec. 7) when beneficiaries can make changes to their coverage for the following year. By learning about Medicare during National Medicare Education Week, beneficiaries may feel more confident and prepared to make decisions during the Open Enrollment Period.

“Navigating Medicare can be challenging, so we want to help people become confident about making Medicare decisions,” said Chris Abbott, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement regional vice president and National Medicare Education Week education director. “National Medicare Education Week is a time right before enrollment for millions of people to learn more about Medicare and how to find the coverage that best fits their health needs and budgets.”

Care Improvement Plus, AARP, Ameriprise Financial and the National Family Caregivers Association supported UnitedHealthcare in creating National Medicare Education Week.

Events Offer Opportunity to Learn about Medicare through Hands-On Social Media Workshop

During National Medicare Education Week, UnitedHealthcare and Care Improvement Plus, a recent addition to UnitedHealthcare’s portfolio of Medicare health plans, will host more than 65 educational events in more than 50 cities.

The events will begin with a Medicare Made Clear™ presentation, led by local company representatives. The presentation will focus on the basics of Medicare to help beneficiaries find the coverage that is best for them. Event attendees will also have the opportunity to learn more about Medicare by participating in a hands-on computer workshop. As older adults and other Medicare beneficiaries increasingly turn to the Internet and social media to find information and stay connected, they can use these tools to learn about their Medicare options as well.

UnitedHealthcare and Care Improvement Plus aim to empower beneficiaries with the information and skills they need to feel comfortable going online to learn about Medicare. During the workshops, attendees will learn how to use popular social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and how these resources can help them learn more about Medicare and also stay connected with friends and family.

UnitedHealthcare MedicareStores^SM and Kiosks Open Nationwide During National Medicare Education Week

During National Medicare Education Week, UnitedHealthcare will open more than 10 retail stores across the country. The company plans to open more than 20 additional stores in the weeks leading up to the Open Enrollment Period. The UnitedHealthcare MedicareStores^SM, which can be found in malls and shopping centers in more than 30 cities, provide convenient and direct access to licensed agents who can help educate beneficiaries about Medicare and how to find coverage that best meets their health needs and budgets.

Baby boomers, beneficiaries and their caregivers will find within the stores educational resources and materials about UnitedHealthcare Medicare plans that can help them make informed decisions about their health care coverage. Informational meetings about Medicare, health and wellness will also be held at the stores in the coming months.

The stores’ opening during National Medicare Education Week marks the latest evolution of the company’s consumer-centric retail strategy and follows the company’s success with its first store designed specifically for Medicare beneficiaries, which opened in Kingsport, Tenn., last year.

Beneficiaries may also talk to a UnitedHealthcare representative at more than 1,400 UnitedHealthcare-branded kiosks that can be found in retail locations nationwide.

National Medicare Education Week Helps Meet Growing Demand for Clear Medicare Information

Medicare is our nation’s largest health insurance program, with 49 million Americans enrolled. According to a survey conducted last year by the National Council on Aging and UnitedHealthcare, most adults ages 60 and older say they find Medicare confusing or do not understand it at all.²

As 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day for the next decade, the Medicare-eligible population is set to skyrocket, making it even more critical that clear information about Medicare is accessible to newly eligible beneficiaries. Recognizing the growing demand for Medicare information, UnitedHealthcare is launching National Medicare Education Week this year as an extension of its Medicare Made Clear™ campaign.

UnitedHealthcare created Medicare Made Clear™ to help make Medicare easier to understand. The multifaceted education program includes a website, MedicareMadeClear.com, and a library of printed materials such as guides, brochures and worksheets. The Medicare Made Clear™ guides were first distributed in 2005, with the full program officially launching in 2010.

In recent years, the company has enhanced the program with new tools and features to accommodate a variety of learning styles. Visitors to the website will now find blogs, quizzes and videos on a variety of Medicare topics, and beneficiaries can “like” the Medicare Made Clear™ Facebook page or follow its Twitter handle (@MedicareClear) or YouTube channel for regular Medicare tips and updates.

For more information about National Medicare Education Week and the educational events, visit NMEW.com or the National Medicare Education Week “app,” or tab, on the Medicare Made Clear™ Facebook page. People can call [phone] (TTY: 711) to speak with a UnitedHealthcare agent who can help them find a UnitedHealthcare store or kiosk in their area.

More information about Medicare is available at www.Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY: 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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 and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

The family of UnitedHealthcare® Medicare Solutions plans are insured or covered by UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or one of its affiliates, a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract and Medicare-approved Part D sponsor.

A sales person will be present with information and applications. For accommodation of persons with special needs at sales meetings call [phone] (TTY: 711).

¹ Center for Plain Language ClearMark Awards, June 2011; http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110608005300/en/UnitedHealthcare-Wins-ClearMark-Awards-Consumer-Friendly-Medicare-Education

² National Council on Aging and UnitedHealthcare Survey, Sept. 19, 2011; http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/newsroom/news.aspx?id=d8ff7644-1e5b-4574-949e-6073e2c7b144