The Make Medicare Work Coalition

1
The Make Medicare Work Coalition

• April 2009

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Make Medicare Work Coalition

• Collaboration to address and influence the impact
  of the new Medicare law on people in Illinois
• Brings together aging and disability service
  providers
• Marries education/outreach with policy advocacy
• Targets underserved groups

3
MMW Funders

• The Chicago Community Trust
• Michael Reese Health Trust
• The Retirement Research Foundation
• With additional support from the National Council
  on Aging

4
Who We Are Leadership

• AgeOptions
• Progress Center for Independent Living
• Health Disability Advocates

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Who We Are Participants

• More than 200 organizations (500 people on our
  list)
• Aging and disability service providers and
  advocates
• State and federal agencies
• Elected officials and staff
• Policy and research groups

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What We Do

• Gather and create accurate, practical, unbiased,
  accessible information and materials
• Educate Medicare consumers, service providers and
  policymakers
• Provide training and technical support for
  professionals and volunteers
• Bring field experience to policymakers
• Advocate for laws and policies that assure
  affordable access to comprehensive drug coverage
  for Medicare beneficiaries
• Target underserved groups

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MMW Education and Outreach

• Outreach to older adults lead by AgeOptions
• Outreach to people with disabilities lead by
  Progress Center for Independent Living
• Service provider and beneficiary trainings and
  enrollment events

8
MMW Policy

• Policy work lead by Health Disability Advocates
• Informed by other Coalition work
• Policy advocacy on federal, state, local and
  other levels
• Coalition participants assist in advocacy if and
  when they can

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MMW Materials

• Bulletins and Alerts
• Topical Briefs
• Q A for Coalition Member Newsletters
• E-News
• Fact Sheets, cheat sheets, materials for
  Service Providers and People with Medicare

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MMW Meetings

• Annual Summit
• Quarterly In-Person Meetings
• Phone Conferences
• Policy Meetings, Work Group Meetings or Phone
  Calls
• Trainings

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Some MMW Accomplishments Education and Outreach
Through 2008

• Directly reached over 350,000 and indirectly
  reached another 250,000 Medicare consumers
• Presented at 2,863 group education events
  attended by 133,458 Medicare consumers
• Reached 9,579 professionals and volunteers
  through 748 training events
• Directly assisted 22,846 people to enroll in Part
  D and assisted with 78,478 applications for other
  benefits

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Some MMW Accomplishments Policy

• Development of Illinois Cares Rx
• Advocacy with Governors Office to provide
  emergency coverage during initial roll-out of
  Part D
• First legislation in nation to convert persons on
  ADAP to a State Pharmaceutical Assistance
  Program.
• Expansion of Health Benefits for Workers with
  Disabilities
• Invited to testify before U.S. Congress on
  Medicare Part D extra help
• Advocated extensively for continued coverage of
  Medicare beneficiaries by drug manufacturer
  patient assistance programs through Town Hall
  Meetings and testimony

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MMW Policy Goals for 2009

• Expansion of Illinois Cares Rx and Medicare
  Savings Programs
• More efficient and effective enrollment and
  re-enrollment procedures for Illinois Cares Rx
• Assure Illinois Medicare beneficiaries are
  represented in national discussion on improving
  Medicare Part D.

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MMW Education and Outreach Goals for 2009

• Maintain and grow the Coalition
• Find and reach underserved populations (low
  income, safety net provider users, Deaf or
  hard-of-hearing, mental health/psychiatric
  service consumers, nursing home transition
  consumers)
• Provide information and technical support through
  the Resource Center

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For More Information

• Contact us at
• AgeOptions- Terri Gendel or Georgia Tzanetopoulos
• terri.gendel_at_ageoptions.org or georgia.tzanetopoul
  os_at_ageoptions.org
• 708-383-0258
• Health Disability Advocates John Coburn or
  Stephanie Altman
• jcoburn_at_hdadvocates.org or saltman_at_hdadvocates.org
  
• 312-223-9600
• Progress Center for Independent Living Jennifer
  Scheffler
• jscheffler_at_progresscil.org
• 708.689.1380 VOICE/VP
• 708.209.1827 TTY