UnitedHealthcare Brings the Recipe to Good Health to Hispanic-American Medicare Consumers in Miami

Published on Thursday, 14 June 2012 11:40 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

MIAMI-( Business Wire )-

UnitedHealthcare will host a free cooking demonstration with renowned chef Jackie Salas to kick off a series of educational events aimed at improving the health and well-being of Hispanic-American seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries.

The events will be held across five states to help beneficiaries learn more about the Medicare program and their health care coverage options.

The cooking demonstration will be held Friday, June 22, at 10:30 a.m. at the Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center, 250 SW 114^th Ave. in Sweetwater, Fla. Salas will show participants how to prepare traditional Latin meals and desserts in a healthier way. Her adaptations of dishes such as arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) and arroz con leche (rice pudding) illustrate how favorite Latin meals can be part of a healthy diet.

Salas, a firm believer in healthy cooking, authors the blog “Cocinando al Natural con Chef Jackie” (“Natural Cooking with Chef Jackie”). She has appeared as a guest chef on programs such as Univision’s “Despierta América,” “Sábado Gigante” and “Qué Sabor,” and Telemundo’s “De Mañanita.”

“The delicious flavors of authentic Latin food can be achieved using healthier ingredients and techniques,” said Salas. “I look forward to sharing with Miami seniors healthier adaptations of traditional Latin dishes that call for simple ingredients and basic cooking skills.”

Following the cooking demonstration, participants can attend one of three educational seminars on Medicare:

• Monday, June 25, 10 a.m., at the Claude and Mildred Pepper Senior Center, 10600 SW Fourth St., Sweetwater
• Tuesday, June 26, 10 a.m., at the Armando Badia Senior Center, 25 Tamiami Blvd., Miami
• Wednesday, June 27, 10 a.m., at the Hollingsworth Hall Senior Center at Hialeah Gardens, 10003 NW 87^th Ave., Hialeah Gardens

The seminars will help the 850,000 Hispanic-American seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries in the Miami area make confident health care coverage decisions by providing them with information about the basics of Medicare, including the different parts of the program, eligibility requirements and enrollment windows.

Navigating Medicare can be especially challenging for Hispanic-American beneficiaries who do not speak English or who speak English as a second language. The cooking demonstration and educational seminar will be conducted in Spanish to ensure that Spanish-speaking Medicare beneficiaries can learn in a way that is most comfortable for them.

“Miami Medicare beneficiaries will come away from these events with information that may help them improve their health and the health of their loved ones,” said Susan Morisato, president of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement Insurance Solutions. “Not only will they learn how to find Medicare coverage that best fits their health needs and budget, but they’ll also learn how to cook many traditional Latin meals in a healthier way.”

Following the kick-off events in Miami, UnitedHealthcare will hold a series of educational events in five states through September to help Hispanic-American Medicare beneficiaries gain a better understanding of their health care coverage options.

The company offers other resources tailored for Spanish-speaking beneficiaries, including solucionesdemedicare.com, where beneficiaries and their caregivers can find clear information that breaks down the complexities of Medicare.

For more information about the kick-off events and educational series, call 1-866-336-0253, TTY 711, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. MT.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

This event is only for educational purposes and no plan-specific benefits or details will be shared.

UnitedHealthcareBrenda Pérez, 718-548-4370Mobile: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.