This is regarding “Ground the Medicare blimp” (Editorial, Oct. 25).
You’re just flat out wrong on the Medicare Ad campaign–and the blimp. I have run Medicare for almost three years, and it is clear that among other things: seniors don’t know where to find the best home health care, they don’t know which nursing homes are best, they often don’t know the difference between Medicare and Medigap (do you?) and they are very confused by a large, highly complex program.
It is not good for seniors and it is not good for an efficient and cost-effective Medicare program. We will spend almost $300 billion this year–about $7,300, on average, for every senior in America. This campaign costs 75 cents per person, and the blimp cost is about 1 cent per senior. The “oddity” of the government blimp, as planned, has generated almost 90 TV spots and 75 news stories–all “free” media that gets the 1-800-MEDICARE message out.
We get 20,000 calls a day when we don’t advertise–and as many as 60,000 calls when this campaign is at its peak. That means 40,000 people a day are getting better information about Medicare.
