WATERLOO, Iowa — Some Iowa residents will get inside information on what Medicare's national competitive bidding project really means when VGM TV, a subsidiary of the VGM Group in Waterloo, debuts its first TV show on WCTV, the city's public access channel. The program, "Medicare: What You Don't Know Will Make You Sick," is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 4 and Nov. 18 and will feature a panel discussion with Ken Brown, Ph.D, the Lawrence M. Jepson Professor of International Economics at the University of Northern Iowa. Brown conducted a study that concluded Iowa could lose 40 to 50 percent of its HME providers when competitive bidding is rolled out over the next two years.
VGM's Carolyn Cole, vice president-corporate communications, will moderate the event. Brown will be joined on the panel by Mike Mallaro, VGM's CFO and CIO, and Kelly Turner, the group's director of advocacy. The program will also feature interviews with individuals who use HME and related services.
The member services group also announced last week that it is entering the accessible home-building business. VGM's Accessible Home Improvement of America division is partnering with Elkhart, Ind.-based modular home builder All American Homes, a subsidiary of the All American Group, to provide new, accessible homes. The two companies worked together to create an accessible home at VGM's Heartland conference in June.
"Being on the cutting edge of specifically designing new homes to meet the needs of those with accessibility issues fills a special niche within our program offerings," said Jerry Keiderling, AHIA president.
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