SMMS Campaign Premieres New Educational Videos

WASHINGTON (April 29, 2014)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) announced the availability of three new educational videos courtesy of Save My Medical Supplies, its new consumer-focused campaign designed to educate Medicare beneficiaries, their families and care providers about how Medicare reform mistakes are impacting people with serious medical needs. The short, professionally-produced videos can be viewed at (and shared from) savemymedicalsupplies.org and include:

• An animated walkthrough of the major issues related to Medicare reform mistakes, as well as identifying the at-risk groups that are being impacted by those issues.
• A personal interview with Thomas Morris, a diabetic who also is an amputee. The video shares his struggle with living with diabetes, and sheds light on the care issues that diabetics are facing due to Medicare’s mismanaged National Mail Order program.
• A personal interview with Paralympian Bert Burns, who shares his perspective as a wheelchair user as well as explaining why Medicare reform mistakes are making it nearly impossible for Medicare beneficiaries to get wheelchair repairs.
“These issues aren’t partisan, they’re personal,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare. “These videos tell the remarkable stories of how Medicare reform mistakes are hurting people in a deeply personal way. Please take a moment to share these videos with your personal network.” The SMMS website, as well as the Save My Medical Supplies Facebook page and Twitter feed, explains Medicare reform challenges in consumer-friendly language that is relatable, inclusive and easy to understand. Site visitors can email their Congressional representatives directly, sharing their personal stories about healthcare needs and urging Congress to stop Medicare reform mistakes by supporting H.R. 1717, the Medicare Market Pricing Program Act or by requesting immediate help to improve access to wheelchair repairs. The Save My Medical Supplies campaign is off to a fantastic start as more than 3000 letters have been sent to Congress since the official site launch two weeks ago. To receive updates directly from Save My Medical Supplies and learn more about how you can help spread the word within your community, email Beth Ludwick at AAHomecare, bethl@aahomecare.org.