What Your Higher Medicare Premium Covers

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What Your Higher Medicare Premium Covers—a Medicare Blimp?

From the editor, Mary Johnson:
Medicare premiums jumped a hefty 13.5% in January, obliterating many seniors’ annual Cost-of-Living Adjustments. The government attributes the increase to skyrocketing health care costs. Recently we were aghast to learn that Medicare spent $600,000 to have a blimp fly at sporting events, including the Tennessee-Alabama college football game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The blimp advertised the 1-800-Medicare number. A Medicare spokesman said the blimp cost about 75 cents per person enrolled in Medicare. A post card with the number, however, would have cost about 2 cents a piece and at least we could have something to hang by our phone.

Sources: “Medicare Using Blimp in Ad Campaign,” The Associated Press, October 22, 2003.

February 2004