HSM E-briefing Series
on Customer Retention and Loyalty

"HOLDING ONTO YOUR CUSTOMERS"

The HSM Group, Ltd. provides the following information in the hopes that it will help you, our valued clients and friends, in your efforts to build better relationships with your customers.

February 2006

What Consumers Don't Know About Medicare

While  consumer confusion with Medicare Part D is front-page news, lack of knowledge and uncertainty about Parts A and B have been less well documented.  California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), based in Oakland, CA, commissioned The HSM Group to understand the informational needs of those aging into Medicare.  This week CHCF released an Issue Brief:  When You’re 64:  What Californians Don’t Know About Medicare authored by HSM Executive Vice President Joan Cihak.  The issue brief reports that despite an abundance of information and counseling resources, many 64-year-old Californians are uninformed about Medicare, lacking basic understanding of both how it works and where to find help.  These seniors are either leaving decisions to chance or making choices at enrollment that could increase their costs and limit their future options.  Such decisions can impact your organization!

While this particular research zeroed in on California 64-year-olds, it is safe to assume that similar issues plague those aging into Medicare across the country.  To learn more about the study, including what information is needed and the most effective ways to convey and distribute information, you can access the CHCF Issue Brief by clicking the link below:
http://www.chcf.org/documents/insurance/WhenYoure64MedicareIssueBrief.pdf

The California HealthCare Foundation is an independent philanthropy committed to improving California’s health care delivery and financing systems.  Other resources relating to Medicare can be found on the CHCF Web site at: wwww.chcf.org

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To discuss how HSM can help your organization better understand what your customers want, call Jim Hendrix, Vice President of Research and Economics, at 800-776-8078, ext. 310

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