Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104227

Fiona D. Smith, MPH, Health Services Research & Management Group, BearingPoint, 99 High Street, 22- 359, Boston, MA 02110, (617) 988-1816, fiona.smith@bearingpoint.com and Suzanne Rotwein, PhD, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244.

SESSION ABSTRACT Contact Person: Fiona Smith | 617.378.3625 | fiona.smith@bearingpoint.com

This session features presentations about the role of employers as purveyors of Medicare information and about the impact of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) on employers and future retirees

Presentation 1) Suzanne Rotwein of CMS: The history and role of employers as health insurers and how that has shaped their role as Medicare information intermediaries.

Presentation 2) Fiona Smith of Bearing Point: How have changes in job security, human resource practices, and Medicare reforms affected employers' roles as Medicare information intermediaries? This presentation provides results from focus groups conducted with employers, retirees, pre-retirees, and employee caregivers about disseminating Medicare information at the workplace.

Presentation 3) Jennifer Uhrig of RTI: This presentation highlights findings from in-depth interviews with human resource staff regarding the Medicare information needs of workers and retirees in their early sixties. It describes current practices, resources spent, and the challenges of educating and communicating with employees/retirees about Medicare. Lessons learned from this research can inform the development of materials aimed at helping employees/ retirees understand their choices under the MMA.

Presentation 4) Deb Levesque of ProChange: How do the principles of the "Stages of Change" model apply to employers in their role as Medicare information intermediaries? This presentation will discuss the insights and practical applications of that theory.

Presentation 5) The policy implications of employers as purveyors of Medicare information and the impact of the MMA on employers and future retirees (Speaker to be determined.)

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Identify the implications of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) for employers and for retirees with employer-sponsored retiree health benefits
• Describe various strategies for mobilizing employers as partners in Medicare education
• Identify the types of information employers need to educate pre-retirees and employee caregivers about the new choices under Medicare

Keywords: Insurance, Medicare

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.