As an 80-year-old company and a proud member of the direct mail industry, MCH recognizes the importance of environmental stewardship and sustainability. MCH customers are given a Partners in Planting certificate documenting the number of trees planted on their behalf. Click to continue
by
Michael
Tull
MCH Response Lab Director
Move Update refers to the process of applying changes of address to existing addresses. The USPS
has established a new set of Move Update standards that take effect on Nov. 23, 2008, and that will
have a significant impact on mailers who primarily use Standard Mail. These new standards are
another step in the Postal Service's long-term plan to reduce the volume and costs of
undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail.
The two most significant changes are:
- Move Update standards are now extended to include all Standard Mail (letters, flats, parcels and Not Flat-Machinables), as well as automation-rate and presort-rate First-Class Mail.
- Addresses being used for a mailing in one of the above categories must go through an approved Move Update process no more than 95 calendar days prior to the date of mailing. This is a reduction from the previous standard of 185 days for automation-rate and presort-rate First-Class Mail.
The main reason the standards are being extended to Standard Mail is that during an independent study, the Postal Service found that mail entered as Standard Mail accounted for 62.8 percent of all UAA mail volume. Click to continue
Dr. Edwin Long's recently released book, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health Care, provides an in-depth look at the health care crisis in the U.S. There were more than 47 million Americans without health care coverage in 2006 while those with health care coverage questioned the quality and price of care received. Dr. Long shares his views on why universal health care is needed and how it can be accomplished by dividing his book into two segments. The first, The Health Care We Have, looks at the present health care system and the inherent problems it creates. The second section, The Health Care We Need, discusses possible solutions and provides direction on how to manage change. Click to continue
Being proactive means paying attention to the all of the elements that can impact
your company, marketing campaigns, products, and services. The news items listed below recently
caught our attention. Are you positioned to capitalize on new and/or shifting opportunities in the
institutional market?
"Hospices on Life Support in New Federal Budget,"
The Non-Profit Times, 5/5/2008
The proposed 2009 federal budget contains more than $5 billion in hospice reimbursement cuts.
The political game of administration cuts followed by congressional restoration of funding
continues to be played in Washington. Healthcare marketers should keep an eye on the political
positioning that occurs over the next few months.
"College towns rank high on 'recession-proof' list,"
Chicago Tribune, 5/4/2008
Quotes from the owner of a catering company provide insight into why institutions are great
customers because they are recession resistant. "...universities and hospitals are somewhat less
driven directly by the economic conditions."
"Hiring Leaps in Public Sector,"
USA Today, 4/30/2008
According to North Carolina State University economist, Michael Walden, "Government
jobs are an important cushion for the economy when the private sector falters." Federal, state, and
local governments are hiring new workers at the fastest pace in 6 years.
Use It or Lose It
In a May 6, 2008 telephone conversation with Charles Blaschke of Education TURNKEY
Systems, he said that Florida will be extending the time to spend year-end funds through July 30th
and that the Department of Ed is getting involved to help Florida spend their year-end funds.
"An Initiative on Reading is Rated Ineffective,"
The New York Times, 5/2/2008
The Department of Education released a report on May 1st regarding the effectiveness of the
Reading First Program. More than $1 billion is spent each year on this program aimed at helping
low-income children learn to read. The report concluded, "Reading First did not improve students'
reading comprehension . . . or increase the percentages of students in grades one, two, or three
whose reading comprehension scores were at or above grade level."
Children are given educational opportunities at an early age as educators, parents, and child care providers focus on learning. There are a wealth of youth programs provided by schools, churches, libraries, and communities. Summer camps, reading programs, field trips, and other hands-on learning events are all aimed at providing educational experiences.
Click here to review datacards that are suitable for marketers of Youth Education Products and then call your MCH sales representative to get a count on those "why didn't I think of that?" institutions you may have missed.
See MCH at there marketing industry events:
AEP Summit
June 4-6
JW Marriott
Washington, D.C.
Joan Whitney, MCH Director of
Sales, will be participating on a panel moderated by Kevin Casey, President of
The Exceptional Company. Be sure
to attend "Eavesdrop on the Experts" on Thursday, June 5, 2008 from 3:45 - 5:00 P.M.
DM Days New York
June 10-12, 2008
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
New York, NY
Booth #420
Stop by and visit with the MCH team including
John Hood,
Jerry
Reisberg,
Kirk Chritton,
Dan Goss, and
Edward Nasser.
Click here to request a quote for any of MCH's institutional databases and services.
Toll Free 1-800-776-6373 (U.S. Only) | 1-660-335-6373 | Fax 1-660-335-4157 | sales@mailings.com