Fraud is occurring more often than ever and it happens when providers or suppliers of durable medical equipment, billing services or others seek Medicare reimbursements for treatments, equipment or supplies that were never provided. Some of the fraudulent claims to Medicare include unnecessary and uncovered tests that were claimed to have been provided at health clubs, retirement homes or shopping malls. Another is false diagnoses submitted inappropriately by healthcare providers who seek reimbursement for services that Medicare does not cover. And according to the FBI, seniors have become primary targets for these medical equipment schemes. For example, seniors that are asked to provide their Medicare health insurance claim numbers to receive products or gifts. Once they have the beneficiaries’ numbers the scammers can provide them to Medicare as fraudulent claims.
If you’ve had something like this happen to you here’s what you can do to protect yourself.
- Remember that your Medicare health insurance claim number and SSN are the same- so keep them secure!
- Review each and every Medicare Summary Notice carefully and report any suspicious looking claims immediately.
- Contact a Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Counselor. He or she can go over the specific details and if necessary, help move your case forward into a formal investigation.
