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Medicare launches Preventive Care Campaign that includes improved resources for Caregivers

Share the News, Share the Health and Ask Medicare offer tools and materials to make better healthcare decisions

July 5, 2011-- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a nationwide public outreach campaign – including a letter to doctors and a new public service announcement – to raise awareness about the preventive benefits now covered at no charge to Medicare beneficiaries as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

The campaign will run throughout the summer, with online ads and community events all over the country starting in July.  As part of the Share the News, Share the Health campaign, CMS recently upgraded its dedicated caregivers' website Ask Medicare, including a link to prevention information for caregivers' reference.

Ask Medicare is now a one-stop, easy-to-use Web site that offers a range of resources and decision-making tools to help support the nearly 66 million unpaid caregivers across the nation who care for a seriously ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend.

"Caregivers do everything from picking up prescriptions, to scheduling appointments, to administering medication or bathing," said CMS Administrator Donald M. Berwick, M.D.

 "These individuals provide many of the services a hired nurse would do, and we at CMS are committed to supporting them. The upgraded version of Ask Medicare will give them better access to the information they need to provide care, including details about important preventive services that are now free-of-charge to those they care for."

The site includes a link to specific information on the preventive services now provided free-of-charge to Medicare beneficiaries, as well as details on the "Welcome to Medicare Preventive Visit" and "Annual Wellness Visit," and a preventive services checklist for patients.

Visitors to the upgraded Ask Medicare site (www.medicare.gov/caregivers) can sign up for a free caregiver e-newsletter, download videos on a variety of topics, and access an online caregiver community with message boards and discussion groups to connect with other caregivers and share tips.

The online community is an important resource where caregivers can learn from each other and share experiences such as coping with chronic illness, comparing drug plans, making an effective transition from the hospital to home, and selecting long-term care options.

If you’re a health or human service provider and want to do more to support caregivers, visit the Partners and Professionals section of Ask Medicare.

Click this link for a list of resources and benefits for caregivers.

To learn more about the preventive services that Medicare covers without cost under the Affordable Care Act, visit www.medicare.gov.

SOURCE The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)