ABSTRACT
In October 1998, the Health Care Financing Administration sent information to 38 million Medicare beneficiaries in five pilot states, consisting of a comprehensive handbook entitled Medicare and You. The purpose of the handbook is to clarify new options under Medicare+Choice to participants. Such clarification is bound to initiate contact by Medicare beneficiaries to former employers/unions. This article addresses employers' need to develop a communication strategy for beneficiaries and suggests a methodology and possible questions that may arise.
Subject(s)
Health Benefit Plans, Employee/economics , Health Maintenance Organizations/economics , Information Services , Medicare Part C/organization & administration , Retirement/economics , Aged , Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. , Communication , Emergency Treatment , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Insurance Coverage , Medicare Part C/standards , Quality Assurance, Health Care , United States , Utilization ReviewABSTRACT
Medicare will soon undergo major changes, as Medicare beneficiaries are given a complex array of plan options known as Medicare+Choice. These changes are an attempt to extend the financial solvency of Medicare, but they also offer employees an opportunity to redesign their retiree health plans. It is essential that employers are fully informed about the coming changes and communicate with retirees about them.
Subject(s)
Managed Care Programs/organization & administration , Medicare Part C/organization & administration , Capitation Fee/statistics & numerical data , Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. , Consumer Advocacy , Eligibility Determination , Fee-for-Service Plans/economics , Fee-for-Service Plans/organization & administration , Health Benefit Plans, Employee/organization & administration , Managed Care Programs/economics , Medical Savings Accounts/organization & administration , Medicare Part C/statistics & numerical data , Retirement , United StatesABSTRACT
Powerful demographic and economic forces are fueling the looming crisis related to providing medical and social services for the elderly. However, the American public remains largely oblivious to the devastating implications of the need for institutional or home-based care among senior citizens. Employers have a key role to play in resolving the situation by evaluating competing long-term care policies, endorsing the program of a strong carrier, assisting in offering the policies through payroll deduction and educating employees on the importance of selecting policy riders that best meet their evolving needs.
Subject(s)
Insurance, Long-Term Care , Private Sector , Aged , Health Benefit Plans, Employee , Health Expenditures , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Insurance, Long-Term Care/economics , Insurance, Long-Term Care/legislation & jurisprudence , Managed Care Programs/organization & administration , Nursing Homes/economics , Planning Techniques , United StatesABSTRACT
Enlightened employers have discovered that Medicare HMOs, especially risk HMOs, offer employees and retirees a win-win alternative. They lower today's costs, controlling-term increases and offer the broadest, quality coverage. Implementing a "winning" Medicare risk HMO requires careful scrutiny of how the HMO operates and delivers care to the Medicare audience and depends on effective communication that is sensitive to the special needs of retirees.
Subject(s)
Health Maintenance Organizations/organization & administration , Medicare/organization & administration , Budgets , Capitation Fee , Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Financial Management , Health Benefit Plans, Employee/economics , Health Benefit Plans, Employee/organization & administration , Health Maintenance Organizations/economics , Health Maintenance Organizations/standards , Medicare/economics , Pensions , Quality of Health Care , Reimbursement Mechanisms , Retirement/economics , United StatesABSTRACT
This is a 3.5-year retrospective review on the insertion of 210 Goode T tubes into 182 ears of 93 patients. Otorrhea was noted postoperatively in 35.2% of the ears treated, with chronic drainage lasting longer than 4 months developing in more than 7% of the cases. Perforations were found in 34 ears (18.7%) following removal or extrusion of the T tubes; in 13 (7.1%) of these patients, chronic perforations requiring tympanoplasties developed. The literature was screened for additional studies addressing the complications associated with tympanostomy tubes. The documented incidence of perforations between conventional tubes and Goode T tubes was emphasized, and comparisons were made. Our findings indicate that, even with the immediate placement of paper patches following removal of all Goode T tubes, the percentage of tympanic membrane perforations resulting from the use of Goode T tubes is significantly greater than previously reported.
