Making Medicare Work for You: Your Questions, Your Choices

BALTIMORE, Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- RLTV, the only cable network dedicated to serving the needs of Generation 50+, will air a special episode of Making Medicare Work for You: Your Questions, Your Choices on August 15 at 9 p.m. EDT.  

The 10,000 boomers who will turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare every day for the next decade shouldn't feel bad if they're a bit confused. Signing up for Medicare means making choices, and for many, the process is complicated.  RLTV, always on the vanguard of the issues impacting Americans 50+, is presenting Making Medicare Work For You: Your Questions, Your Choices as part of a multi-media approach to making Medicare understandable. Sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest business dedicated to meeting the health and well-being needs of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries, the program will feature host Deborah Norville, a veteran journalist and the anchor of Inside Edition. Deborah will be joined by a team of industry insiders from all facets of the Medicare community to help viewers who are reviewing their health-care needs and comparing Medicare plans.

For current Medicare beneficiaries and those who are new to Medicare, this initiative is both timely and critical. Each year, the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) provides consumers the opportunity to review their health-care situation and change health plans if their current coverage no longer meets their needs.  Because AEP starts earlier this year (Oct. 15-Dec. 7), now is the time for Medicare beneficiaries to begin thinking about their health needs and learning about their options so they have the information they need to make an informed, personalized decision this fall.

Specially timed to air in advance of AEP, Making Medicare Work For You: Your Questions, Your Choices is a forum for real people making real decisions that will fundamentally affect their lives.  During the interactive program, the in-studio team of experts will respond to man-in-the-street questions such as:

• What's the difference between a Medicare Advantage plan and a Medicare supplement plan?
• What are your choices if the Medicare plan you chose no longer meets your health care needs?
• What happens if you move to a different state?
• What do you do if your health changes and you now need to take expensive prescription drugs?  How can you find a new prescription plan?
• What help is available if you're helping your parents navigate Medicare but they're having a hard time affording drug coverage?

"The individuals featured in RLTV's program bring to life the complexities of Medicare and the many decisions beneficiaries face as they navigate the program," said Tom Paul, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. "It's important that beneficiaries feel confident in their health-care choices, which is why we're supporting Making Medicare Work for You and why we created our Medicare Made Clear education campaign."

"Rules change, and so do health needs.  Through Making Medicare Work For You: Your Questions, Your Choices, RLTV aims to make the complexities of Medicare, the changes to the program, and the process of evaluating coverage options clearer and more manageable," said Paul FitzPatrick, President and COO for RLTV.   "UnitedHealthcare's support of this program and Deborah Norville's skill as a host have resulted in a valuable offering to RLTV viewers," stated FitzPatrick.

The executive producer of Making Medicare Work for You: Your Questions, Your Choices is David Wasser.

Watch Making Medicare Work for You: Your Questions, Your Choices on Monday, August 15th at 9pm EDT.

About Deborah Norville

One of the most watched, trusted and acclaimed journalists on television, Deborah Norville has covered the milestones of a generation. From the funerals of Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan and the devastation in D.C. on September 11th to the inauguration of Barack Obama and the red carpet at the Oscars– if it moved us, if it changed the world, she was there.

Norville has been a correspondent for NBC, CBS, ABC and MSNBC, and she has anchored four major network news shows: 48 Hours, CBS Evening News, NBC's Today Show, and—since 1995— Inside Edition, winning two Emmys in the process. Viewers look to Norville to make sense of our times with her unique insight, integrity and compassion.  Where Norville goes, ratings follow.  Norville is also a New York Times best-selling author, an entrepreneur with a national crafts supply business, and a philanthropist who has spearheaded events for numerous charities, including the Mother's March of Dimes, the Girl Scouts, and the Rita Hayworth (Alzheimer's) Gala.  Most importantly, Norville is devoted to her career as a mother. She can be contacted at her Web site: www.deborahnorville.com.

About RLTV

RLTV is the only cable network dedicated to serving the needs of Generation 50+ with information and entertainment that inspires and enhances the perception of aging. The network has Emmy award-winning programming that addresses a variety of subjects and genres including health, finance, travel, reality, comedy and drama. For more information, visit our website at www.rl.tv.

SOURCE RLTV