WASHINGTON, DC and LINCOLNSHIRE, IL, November 7, 2013 – The National Council on Aging (NCOA)— through its newly-established subsidiary NCOA Services, LLC—and Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON)—through Aon Hewitt Navigators^®, its robust Medicare marketplace— today announced they are joining forces to make it much easier for people with Medicare to make informed and confident choices about their health coverage and to make the most of that coverage. Through the strategic alliance, NCOA Services and Aon Hewitt Navigators^® will provide seniors with comprehensive education and unique decision-support services related to Medicare enrollment, coverage and costs.

Finding affordable health care and prescription drug coverage is a growing problem for many older Americans. A recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that, on average, out-of-pocket health care spending accounts for 16 percent of older adults’ household income. This percentage is even higher for seniors with modest incomes. 

Careful consideration of prescription drug and supplemental coverage could save most Medicare beneficiaries hundreds of dollars every year. The National Bureau of Economic Research recently concluded that 90 percent of people with Medicare Part D plans lost an average of $300 per year because of sub-optimal plan choices.   

Yet selecting the right coverage can be daunting. According to Aon Hewitt research, 60 percent of seniors say that there is an overwhelming amount of information out there about Medicare health insurance, which can often lead to less than ideal Medicare enrollment choices. 

“NCOA has a distinguished history of innovation and national leadership in helping older adults to get the most out of Medicare and other public benefits,” said James Firman, NCOA’s President and CEO. “Our goal is to improve the health and economic security of 10 million older adults by 2020. Helping individuals to get the most out of their public benefits and to choose the insurance coverage that best suits their personal situation and to get maximum value from their coverage is a key strategy in meeting that goal.”

Aon Hewitt Navigators has agreed to fully meet all of NCOA's Standards of Excellence established for a Medicare marketplace and enable NCOA Services to monitor Aon Hewitt Navigators’ ongoing compliance with these rigorous standards. Through this service, consumers will have access to a quality, unbiased Medicare marketplace providing complimentary, personalized assistance from Benefits Advisors, who are licensed insurance agents focused on helping consumers enroll in a plan to meet their needs and budget.

“Knowing how to get the most out of Medicare and determining the best health care coverage are too important to leave to chance,” said Jay Greenberg, CEO of NCOA Services. “Combining the passion, knowledge, and resources of our two organizations is going to help people save millions of dollars by getting the health coverage and benefits that are right for them and by providing them ongoing assistance and information.” 

Matt Mann, general manager of Aon Hewitt Navigators, added, “Every day, 10,000 baby boomers become eligible for Medicare, yet a large percentage of them do not understand it. So when seniors are faced with choosing a health plan from the thousands of options available in the individual Medicare market, the entire process can be daunting. As the leading Medicare Marketplace, Aon Hewitt Navigators makes it easy. We provide seniors with personalized health care advisers throughout the entire enrollment process who specialize exclusively in Medicare insurance and can help them cut through the clutter to confidently enroll in a plan that best fits their needs. By combining our expertise and services with NCOA Services’ education and decision support tools, we are proud to offer a powerful resource to help seniors who are looking for objective, personalized help and guidance that is tailored to their specific situation.”

For more information, visit www.aonhewittnavigators.com or www.ncoa.org/NCOAServices.

About NCOA

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the nation’s leading nonprofit service and advocacy organization representing older adults and the community organizations that serve them. Our goal is to improve the health, independence, and economic security of 10 million older adults by 2020. For more than 60 years, NCOA has been a trusted voice and innovative problem-solver helping seniors navigate the challenges of aging in America. We work with local and national partners to give older adults tools and information to stay healthy and secure, and we advocate for programs and policies to improve the lives of all seniors, especially the most vulnerable. For more information, please visit www.ncoa.org.

About NCOA Services, LLC

NCOA Services LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Its mission is to improve the health and economic security of millions of older adults and help make NCOA an enduring organization. NCOA Services is a social enterprise that partners with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations to develop creative solutions to address the challenges of aging in America and bring them to scale nationwide. For more information, please visit www.ncoa.org/NCOAServices.

About Aon Hewitt

Aon Hewitt empowers organizations and individuals to secure a better future through innovative talent, retirement and health solutions. We advise, design and execute a wide range of solutions that enable clients to cultivate talent to drive organizational and personal performance and growth, navigate retirement risk while providing new levels of financial security, and redefine health solutions for greater choice, affordability and wellness.  Aon Hewitt is the global leader in human resource solutions, with over 30,000 professionals in 90 countries serving more than 20,000 clients worldwide.  For more information on Aon Hewitt, please visit www.aonhewitt.com.  

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is the leading global provider of risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resources solutions and outsourcing services. Through its more than 65,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites to empower results for clients in over 120 countries via innovative and effective risk and people solutions and through industry-leading global resources and technical expertise. Aon has been named repeatedly as the world’s best broker, best insurance intermediary, reinsurance intermediary, captives manager and best employee benefits consulting firm by multiple industry sources. Visit www.aon.com for more information on Aon and www.aon.com/manchesterunited to learn about Aon’s global partnership and shirt sponsorship with Manchester United.

Media Contacts:

National Council on Aging: Brandy Bauer, 202-600-3126, brandy.bauer@ncoa.org

Aon Hewitt: Maurissa Kanter, 847-442-0952, maurissa.kanter@aonhewitt.com