During the month of March, the 635,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area should pay attention to their mailboxes for a chance to make their voice heard on a critical topic — their healthcare.

If you have Medicare coverage, you may receive the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey in the coming weeks, giving you an opportunity to rate your satisfaction with your Medicare health insurance and doctors. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducts this annual survey to hear directly from select beneficiaries about the quality of Medicare health plans and care providers.

Through the survey, you can become part of the nation’s efforts to help improve our healthcare system. Regrettably, many of the selected don’t respond. In 2012, only 45 percent of selected Medicare beneficiaries responded to the Medicare CAHPS survey. If you receive the survey this year, please take the time to provide your feedback before the May 29 deadline.

Both CMS and Medicare insurance providers want to make sure you are receiving the highest quality medical care from the doctors that you trust. The CAHPS survey is one tool used to help achieve this goal. Survey responses help the government and insurers identify ways to better serve beneficiaries and improve the quality of your healthcare experience.

As policymakers continue to debate Medicare issues, the CAHPS survey is an important opportunity to make your voice heard. I encourage Miami Medicare beneficiaries to watch for the survey in the mail and take the time to share their experiences to help improve health care quality.

Lissette Garcia, executive director, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement, Miami-Fort Lauderdale