That strategy has allowed HCFA to evaluate and test each phase of the ongoing campaign. Approximately 200,000 Handbooks are mailed to new Medicare enrollees each month as they become eligible for Medicare. Approximately 1.4 million copies are provided each year to health plans, congressional staff, partners and agents. Select versions of the Handbook also contained a feedback postcard. The monitoring work indicated that many beneficiaries were not aware of what the Handbook was when it came in the mail.
Readers can refer to the Handbook later to obtain more details.
Local plan quality and performance information. Specialized material has been moved to separate booklets that can be obtained by those who need detailed information. This year HCFA has included a postcard in a sample of Handbooks to gather more feedback for continuous quality improvement. Survey results from February 2000 suggest that most beneficiaries realize that the Handbook is a government publication. Of those who remember receiving the Handbook, approximately 77 percent had glanced through it, read parts of it, or read it thoroughly.