Reference no: EM132851313
Managing Messages from a Variety of Sources
People born between 1946 and 1964 are referred to as "baby-boomers." They are "aging into" Medicare benefits. The significance of baby-boomers entering retirement and qualifying for Medicare suggests that health care leaders must be able to communicate options available under Medicare and issues related to continual shifts in Medicare eligibility, in order to respond to media requests and inform their staff and potential consumers. It is also important to realize that boomers are not the only consumer of Medicare services. There are many older seniors who must navigate the frequent benefits changes. Adults with a work history who become disabled may be eligible for Medicare. So too may people with lifelong disabilities whose parents become eligible for Medicare may themselves become eligible.
Without a high-level understanding of policies and programs like Medicare, it is impossible to deliver accurate and culturally sensitive messaging, or to interpret messaging directed at your staff and patient populations.
Before we complete this weeks' assigned materials, let's reflect together on the following question based on your experience, what you read in current events, and what you have learned so far in your graduate studies.
1. In your opinion, do baby-boomers require more or different types of education and awareness today than in years past regarding the options available under Medicare and how to access Medicare benefits? How so?
Now, applying this weeks' assigned course materials and any additional materials you may wish to bring in to your discussions to support your statements:
2. How can communication regarding the usage of Medicare benefits be tailored specifically for seniors, and how might that communication differ for people entering Medicare services for the first time, versus older seniors who are navigating the Medicare options?
3. Imagine that you are in a situation in which you need to describe the components of Medicare to a group of new employees at your organization. How would you communicate this information to your audience? Which components would you want to highlight for this audience? Please review your assigned readings and any credible external sources you wish to use. In particular, consider the various Medicare Parts and what you saw that worked from the textbook example.