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La Promesa: Alliance Provides One-to-One Benefits Counseling to Medicare Recipients

Washington Hoy
05/27/2005

More than one-third (37.5%) of Hispanic elderly people live below 135% of the poverty level, and more than two-thirds (69%) of older Hispanics with chronic conditions do not have coverage for prescription medications.
As such, Hispanics are the group most likely to benefit from transitional Medicare prescription benefits that were launched in May 2004 and new preventive care benefits launched in January 2005.

The National Alliance for Hispanic Health and its community partners launched the La Promesa program in June of 2004. In partnership with 23 community-based organizations, the Alliance is reaching Hispanic seniors and their families in 21 communities located in 15 states and the District of Columbia.

Using bilingual resources developed by the Alliance, and through intense national and local media campaigns, the program has already provided direct one-to-one benefits counseling to over a quarter of a million Hispanic seniors and their families.

The latest media tracking results also show that Alliance bilingual public service announcements reached over 30 million through radio, television, and local newspapers.

The Alliance is now building on this success to encourage use of preventive benefits, particularly new “Welcome to Medicare” physicals that include physical and mental health screenings, new diabetes prevention screenings, and new heart disease preventive screenings that became available January 1, 2005 to Medicare beneficiaries.

During the summer of 2005, the Alliance will launch a series of new support services to provide information and counseling to Medicare beneficiaries as Medicare launches a more comprehensive prescription benefit (Medicare Part D). For more info: Magdalena Castro-Lewis (202) 797-4348.