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This guide, designed to help you and your parents sort through basic issues about Medicare and health coverage, was written by the Medicare Rights Center in collaboration with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and was updated in 2003.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, is a nonprofit, independent national health care philanthropy and is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.

Medicare Rights Center is a national, not-for-profit consumer service organization that helps people understand Medicare rights, benefits, and options. Through hotline counseling, education, and public policy programs, Medicare Rights Center works to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities get the health care they need and the coverage they are due.

The authors wish to thank the following individuals for their contributions: Eric Carlson, Geraldine Dallek, Joyce Dubow, Claire Edwards, Barbara Manard, Patricia McGinnis, Teresa McMeans, and Patricia Nemore. The guide was edited by Lynn L. Lewis and the Stein Group, and designed by Supon Design Group, formerly Gibson Creative. This website was developed by Words Pictures Ideas.