Survey Aims to Get to the Bottom of Veteran Medicare Confusion

The American military Veterans who fought to protect the freedoms we all cherish may be misinformed about the crucial health care decisions they make in their Golden Years.

by Melinda Caughill

 
Initial findings from our organization 65 Incorporated indicate many Veterans are struggling to get the information they need to make important decisions about Medicare. Many may be misinformed, which can cost them hundreds — even thousands — of dollars in late enrollment penalties over the course of their lives.

With Memorial Day only days away, 65 Incorporated has launched a brief survey for Veterans in an effort to quantify the Medicare confusion we believe plagues this community. It’s a short four-minute survey that includes basic questions about Vets’ experience with Medicare and VA health benefits.  Answers are completely anonymous and no products or services are promoted.

Here is a link to the survey.

With the information gathered through the survey, we hope to draw public and political attention to current requirements that do not classify VA benefits as “credible coverage” for Medicare. Thus, Veterans who are told that they don’t need to worry about Medicare may be getting taken for a costly ride.

If you are a Veteran approaching 65 — or if your 65^th birthday has come and gone — we would greatly appreciate your assistance in taking this simple survey. Likewise, if you know any Veterans who can participate, please share the survey with them.

With the help of as many Veterans as possible participating in this survey, we can begin to get to the bottom of this critical issue and gather vital data to help shed light on it.

Melinda Caughill is co-founder of 65Incorporated.com, a Medicare resource providing clear, correct, complete and credible information to the aging population through comprehensive multimedia products.