Council on Aging Answers 2015 - 81

COUNCIL ON AGING - ORANGE COUNTY

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Medical Identity Theft On The Rise
n Julie Schoen, General Counsel, Council on Aging

Protect
Guard your Medicare, Social
Security and bank account numbers carefully. Don't give these
to anyone over the phone or in
person, unless you initiated the
conversation or know the person.
write down their name, number,
company and title.
n Don't leave your Medicare
number in a phone message, and
don't carry your Medicare card
unless you will need it. Take it only
to doctor's appointments, visits to

your hospital or clinic, or trips to
the pharmacy.
n Don't accept offers of
money, free food or gifts for
medical care. Be aware of
incentives like "It's free!" or
"we know how to bill Medicare."
n Don't accept offers of "free"
services or supplies in return
for your Medicare number.
Don't accept medical supplies from door-to-door
salespeople who claim to be
associated with Medicare.
Medicare will never call or
visit to sell you anything.
n Don't let anyone convince
you to see a doctor for a service you don't need.
n Keep track of your doctor
visits, tests and procedures
by taking notes in a healthcare journal or calendar.
Detect
Even if you do everything right,
there is still a chance you could
be a target of fraud. Detect fraud
by examining both your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) you
receive from Medicare after your
claims are paid, and the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) you receive
from your Part D plan after buying
prescription drugs. You can also
access your Medicare account at
mymedicare.gov.

Council On Aging-Orange County | 714-479-0107 | www.coaoc.org

Items to watch for:
n Did you receive all the services/prescriptions listed?
n were you billed for something you didn't receive?
n Did your doctor order the
services listed?
n Do the prescriptions listed
match your prescriptions?
n were you billed for the same
thing twice?
n Are the dates of the services/
prescriptions correct?
n Are the dollar amounts
shown the same as those on
your bill?
Report
If you suspect fraud in your
healthcare, report it!
Call the healthcare provider
listed on the Medicare Summary
Notice or Explanation of Benefits
and inquire about the questionable item(s). In many cases, it may
be the result of a billing error,
which can easily be corrected.
If your question is not resolved
and you still think the charges are
fraudulent, call Senior Medicare
Patrol (SMP): 1-855-613-7080.
You can also contact the U.S.
Department of health and human
Services' Office of Inspector General: 1-800-447-8477. Your SMP
counselor will help you determine
if this step is necessary.
Answers Guide 2015

FINANCE & LEGAL

t is early morning, you are barely
awake and the phone rings.
"who is it?" you ask. "This is
Medicare calling and we want to
give you your new Medicare card."
If you receive a call like this,
hANG UP IMMEDIATELY!
Medicare rarely calls a beneficiary and newly designed Medicare cards are a long way off in
the future. This Medicare phone
scam is perpetrated on a daily
basis. Unsuspecting seniors not
only give up their Medicare/Social
Security information, but they also
often give thieves direct access to
their bank account numbers.
Protecting your personal information is the best line of defense
in the fight against Medicare fraud
and abuse. Take an active role in
protecting your Medicare benefits:

http://www.coaoc.org http://www.mymedicare.gov http://www.coaoc.org

Council on Aging Answers 2015

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