Perspective               

Adults Should Learn More About Medicare to Help Parents

Did you know that Medicare does not cover eyeglasses or hearing aids? Did you know that Medicare covers one mammogram a year for women with Medicare over age 40? Did you know that there are Medicare options that provide extra benefits traditional Medicare does not cover? If you or your parents answer "no" to any of these questions, you may need to think through your basic health care options.

With all the complex policies on Medicare, it is no surprise that health insurance often confuses many people with Medicare as well as their children. A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the magazine Family Circle showed that adults who try to help their parents understand Medicare have very limited knowledge about it. Although the survey indicates that many adults, especially women, with a parent age 65 or older are actively involved in helping parents make decisions about health care, only 43 percent of surveyed adults said they know "next to nothing or nothing at all" about health insurance to help their aging parents. While most adults correctly identified the Medicare program as the program that provides health insurance to their parents, only 38 percent were aware that Medicare does not pay for prescription drugs and only 34 percent knew that Medicare does not cover long-term care.

If you or your parents would like to know more about Medicare, call the Kaiser Family Foundation at 1-800-656-4533 and request the free publication "Talking With Your Parents About Medicare and Health Coverage." It is an excellent and easy-to-read guide designed to help children and their parents sort through basic issues about Medicare. The booklet will help equip you and your family to discuss health care options, long-term care, Medicare HMOs, programs that help people with low-incomes, and much more.

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