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Medicare beneficiary counseling programs: what are they and do they work?
L A McCormack1, J A Schnaier, A J Lee
1Health Economics Research, Inc., Waltham, MA 02154, USA. Imac@her-cher.org.
Health Care Financing Review
|March 3, 1997
Summary
State Information, Counseling, and Assistance (ICA) programs offer free, unbiased Medicare counseling. These volunteer-based programs effectively link beneficiaries with essential health insurance information, proving valuable for policymakers.
Area of Science:
- Health Policy
- Public Health
- Consumer Health Information
Background:
- Medicare program has complex rules, conditions, and exceptions.
- State Information, Counseling, and Assistance (ICA) programs were established/enhanced by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990.
- ICA programs use a volunteer-based, locally-sponsored model for support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the effectiveness of the ICA model.
- To evaluate the success of ICA programs in serving Medicare beneficiaries.
- To provide information useful to HCFA and policymakers.
Main Methods:
- Discussion of the ICA program model.
- Analysis of the ICA program's role as a link between HCFA and beneficiaries.
- Review of program success and its implications.
Main Results:
- ICA programs provide free and unbiased counseling on Medicare and related health insurance.
- The volunteer-based, local support system is a key feature of the ICA model.
- ICA programs serve as a vital link between HCFA and its beneficiaries.
Conclusions:
- The ICA model is effective in providing crucial information to Medicare beneficiaries.
- Information on ICA program success is valuable for policymakers and HCFA.
- ICA programs contribute to consumer information in the Medicare landscape.