Tips to Avoid Medicare Fraud

SMPs clearly have their work cut out for them, and more help is always needed. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, call the SMP Resource Center (more formally known as the National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center) at (877) 808-2468 or send an email to info@smpresource.org. Knowledge is power, and empowering seniors with the message of “protect, detect, and report” is a goal of the program. With that in mind, a few tips:

• Guard your ID number. Give it only to your own doctor’s office or hospital. Never give it out to telephone or door-to-door solicitors or leave it on phone messages.
• Beware of anything that’s “free.” That includes free services, or providers who waive deductibles and co-pays. It may mean they are inflating charges elsewhere.
• Know what Medicare does and doesn’t cover.
• Check your statement. Make sure every charge on your monthly Medicare statements is for something you actually ordered and received. Because 80% of the bill is paid, said Paulson, “there’s not the same motivation to review the Medicare summary notice to see what services were provided and paid for. It’s easy to toss it in a drawer or garbage and be done with it. Keep a journal with your doctor visits and dates so you can compare.”

“You always have the guys who have these minds that come up with these schemes,” said Schoen. “As soon as Medicare catches on, they move to another area. I don’t know if we’ll ever get rid of all of that.”