Hay Más Adelante helps seniors navigate health care

Hay Más Adelante initiative, is a series of educational events launched by United Healthcare to help seniors gain a better understanding of their health care coverage options. Renzo Jara of United Healthcare talks about the initiative.

Transcript:

Jose Cardenas: THE HAY MAS ADELANTE INITIATIVE IS A SERIES OF EDUCATIONAL EVENTS LAUNCHED BY UNITED HEALTHCARE TO HELP SENIORS GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE OPTIONS. I RECENTLY SPOKE TO RENZO JARA OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE ABOUT THE INITIATIVE.

Jose Cardenas: RENZO, WELCOME TO "HORIZONTE." TELL US ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE AND HOW IT STARTED.

Renzo Jara: YES, THESE EVENTS ARE PROVIDED BY UNITEDHEALTH CARE. MEDICARE IS A BIT CONFUSING AS WE KNOW. AND THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A BRIDGE THERE BETWEEN THE HISPANIC MARKET. WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND 1-5 HISPANICS DO NOT REALLY KNOW MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT MEDICARE OR DON'T HAVE A RESOURCE.

Jose Cardenas: AND 1-5 IS PEOPLE IN THE AGE DEMOGRAPHIC PEOPLE WHO ARE ABOUT TO GO OR WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE?

Renzo Jara: YES, WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE. WE WANTED TO JUMP THE BRIDGE AND UNITEDHEALTH CARE HAS SARTED THESE EVENTS TO CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND MAKE IT FUN, LIVELY AND TO GIVE INFORMATION AND A RESOURCE A HAND SO PEOPLE CAN HAVE THAT AND HOPEFULLY GET KNOWLEDGE OR FIND A WAY TO SIGN UP FOR MEDICARE OR IF THEY ALREADY HAVE MEDICARE FIND THE QUESTIONS THEY MIGHT HAVE.

Jose Cardenas: THE PROGRAM IS ABOUT STEPS PEOPLE CAN TAKE TO PROLONG THEIR LIFE?

Renzo Jara: WE WANT THIS AGE GROUP TO CONTINUING LEARNING AND LIVING HEALTHY LIVES. THAT IS THE MISSION FOR UNITEDHEALTH CARE. WE WANT A LIVE SHOW IN TELLING PEOPLE THERE IS MORE AHEAD AND MORE STUFF THEY CAN LEARN AND MORE RESOURCES. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, RELAX AND TAKE CARE OF ONE'S SELF. THIS IS THE STAGE OF THEIR LIVES WHERE THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THIS.

Jose Cardenas: AND YOUR MATERIALS DESCRIBE THIS AS A CELEBRATION OF HEALTH CARE AND CULTURE ASK YOU MADE MADE REFERENCES TO THE CULTURE PART OF IT. IN PHOENIX, THERE ARE PERFORMANCES. TELL US ABOUT THAT.

Renzo Jara: WE HAVE A LOCAL ACTRESS PLAYING FRIDA WHO IS THE FAMOUS MEXICAN PAINTER. WE BROUGHT HER INTO OUR EVENTS. SHE IS DRESSED FROM HEAD TO TOE IN HER WARDROBE WHICH IS VERY LIVELY. SHE ACTS A PART OUT AND IS READING HER JOURNAL AND TELLING HER ABOUT HER LIFE.

Jose Cardenas: THE LIFE THAT INCLUDED VERY SERIOUS MEDICAL ISSUES THE ENTIRETY OF HER LIFE.

Renzo Jara: AND THAT IS WHERE WE TIE IN THAT PORTION TO OUR EVENTS. YOU KNOW, WHERE PEOPLE HAVE UPS AND DOWNS IN LIFE AND YOU GET OVER THE BUMPS AND THERE IS MORE AHEAD.

Jose Cardenas: AS I UNDERSTAND IT FOR THIS PARTICULAR EVENT, YOU PERFORMED IT OR HAD IT PERFORMED AT THE HERD MUSEUM WHICH HAS AN EXHIBITION THERE.

Renzo Jara: IT IS A PHENOMENAL MUSEUM AND IF PEOPLE CAME IN EARLY BEFORE THE EVENT THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE FRIDA KAHLO'S ARTWORK AND THEN SEE HER LIVE RIGHT THERE SO THAT WAS AMAZING. WE GOT GOOD FEEDBACK BECAUSE WE TIED THAT PORTION INTO OUR EVENT.

Jose Cardenas: YOU HAD ANOTHER PERSON THERE. ERIC ESTRADA. HE IS 68 YEARS OLD. I WAS SURPRISED.

Renzo Jara: ERIC WAS THERE. HE IS AN AMAZING PERSON. VERY FUNNY GUY. BUT HE KIND OF TALKS ABOUT HIS STRUGGLES AND HOW HE IS DOING AND HOW HE GOT OVER THOSE BUMPS AND THEN HE JUST EDUCATED PEOPLE HE IS AN ARP MEMBER AND DOING HIS RESEARCH IN MEDICARE AND HE IS JUST EXPLAINING WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO GO THROUGH EVERY DAY AND THAT AGE GROUP TO FIND HELP AND FIND RESOURCES IN ORDER TO GET THE IMPORTANT STUFF DONE.

Jose Cardenas: WHAT KIND OF REACTION HAVE YOU GOTTEN FOR THESE TWO PERFORMANCES?
Renzo Jara: WE HAVE A MEETING AFTER THE EVENT AND THEY CAN MEET ERIC AND COME UP TO ME AND ASK ANY MEDICARE QUESTIONS AND TAKE PICTURES WITH ANNA WHO IS PLAYING FRIDA KAHLO. THEY ARE ENGAGING AND ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. THEY GO UP TO ERIC AND TAKE PICTURES WITH HIM. THE EVENT IS FOCUSED ON EVERYONE BUT I LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE COME UP AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDICARE BECAUSE OVERALL THAT IS THE PURPOSE.

Jose Cardenas: YOU ALSO HAVE ONE SESSION, OR YOU HAD ONE SESSION IN PHOENIX, THAT PERHAPS NOT AS EXCITING AS THE OTHER TWO BUT MAYBE MORE USEFUL IN SOME RESPECTS AND THAT IS A TECH SESSION WITH MICHAEL FROM THE HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Renzo Jara: YES, MICHAEL TALKS ABOUT APPLICATIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR HEALTHY LIVING THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ON YOUR iPad OR iPhone. IT IS AN AMAZING PART OF THE SHOW BECAUSE THIS AGE RANGE IS USE TO THEIR iPad AND SHARING RECIPES. HE TALKS A LOT ABOUT THAT AND ALSO TALKS ABOUT WINE AND THE GOOD, HEALTHY PORTIONS.

Jose Cardenas: GIVEN UNITEDHEALTHCARE'S FOCUS, HOW MANY QUESTIONS DO YOU GET ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC TOPIC? IS IT YOUR SENSE INDEED PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ENOUGH OR AS MUCH AS THEY SHOULD?

Renzo Jara: THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY ENROLLED IN MEDICARE THEY JUST ASK WHAT PLANS UNITED HEALTH CARE OFFERS OR WHAT THEIR COVERAGE THEY HAVE RIGHT NOW COVERS, WHAT IT DOESN'T COVER. PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT ENROLLED IN MEDICARE YET THEY ASK SO WE COVER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS LIKE ENROLLMENT, THROUGHOUT PRESENTATIONS AND THEY FURTHER EXPAND WHEN THEY CAN ENROLL, THE ENROLLMENT PERIODS, THE COVERAGE OPTIONS AND ALSO OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR MEDICATIONS.

Jose Cardenas: SO PEOPLE HAVE FUN AT THIS EVENT BUT THEY ALSO GET VERY USEFUL INFORMATION?

Renzo Jara: YES, THAT IS OUR GOAL; TO ENGAGE FUN IN OUR LEARNING. OVERALL, IT IS VERY LIVELY AND EXCITING EVENT.

Jose Cardenas: NOW, JUST ANOTHER QUESTION OR TWO IN TERMS OF MATERIALS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. I TAKE IT SOME OF OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC IS MONOLINGUAL SPANISH. HOW DO THEY GET THE INFORMATION?

Renzo Jara: WE PROVIDE EVERYONE WITH A FOLDER AND WITHIN THE FOLDER WE HAVE OUR MEDICARE MADE CLEAR AND WE OFFER THAT GUIDE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH SO THEY CAN CHOSE WHATEVER LANGUAGE THEY PREFER. OUR TARGET MARKET DOES PREFER OUR MATERIALS IN ENGLISH BUT WE HAVE SPANISH MATERIAL AVAILABLE.

Jose Cardenas: INCLUDING ON YOUR WEBSITE?

Renzo Jara: IN OUR WEBSITE YES. IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE THAT IS ESPECIALLY A UNITEDHEALTHCARE-SPANISH BASED WEBSITE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT COVERAGE, THE PLANS, ENROLLMENT PERIODS. BUT FOR THE EVENTS WE HAVE THERE IS A LINK SO THEY CAN FIGURE OUT THE NATIONAL EVENTS.

Jose Cardenas: LOTS OF MATERIALS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON "HORIZONTE."

Renzo Jara: THANK YOU, JOSE.

Jose Cardenas: AND THAT'S OUR SHOW FOR TONIGHT, FROM ALL OF US HERE AT ARIZONA P-B-S AND HORIZONTE. I'M JOSE CARDENAS. HAVE A GOOD EVENING.