"Podcasting" emerges as communication tool for US seniors

Digital audio files that are downloaded from the Internet onto MP3 players have become a key medium for US organizations to communicate with Medicare beneficiaries, especially senior citizens. The US Congress' newspaper, The Hill, has carried a report about the phenomenon, which is drawing attention to the new medium to legislators and lobbyists alike.

Over the past year, the Center for Medicare Advocacy has loaded eight "podcasts" onto the Internet, with information about both Medicare Part B and Part D programs, the latter concerning prescription drug benefits for the elderly and disabled.

Former Republican presidential candidate and Kansas Senator Bob Dole and ex-Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson (a potential candidate in 2008) have both delivered a series of digitally-recorded addresses on the Medicare prescription drug benefit, encouraging people who qualify to enroll in the program (Marketletter September 25).