Medicare Fraud Prevention Week
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: June 12, 2023
Did you know that Medicare fraud costs Americans an estimated $60 billion per year? It also affects Medicare beneficiaries in terms of time, stress, and health.
Learn how to protect yourself and others against these scams. Join Social Security and the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) for Medicare Fraud Prevention Week from June 5-11, 2023.
You can remember the start date as “6-5,” as most people become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65 years old. Everyone plays a part in the fight against fraud, including:
- Medicare beneficiaries.
- Caregivers.
- Families.
- Partners and professionals.
- Health care providers.
- Community members.
The SMP welcomes any stories or testimonials from people who have been helped by its fraud prevention. These stories are very important in the fight against fraud and can help others avoid this frustrating, costly experience. If you have a testimonial that you would like to share, please submit it here.
To promote Medicare Fraud Prevention Week, we have an observance webpage for public education as well as professional resources and materials. Available materials include a social media toolkit with images and posts, and a media toolkit with a timeline for preparation. We will continue to add new information and material as they become available. You can subscribe to our email list to stay informed.
For more information about Medicare and how to sign up, please visit Social Security’s website. You can also review the agency’s Medicare publication for further details. Please share this information with family and friends who need it – and post it on social media.
Our posting of this blog does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any non-Social Security organization, author, or webpages.
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About the Author
Senior Medicare Patrol
Senior Medicare Patrols (SMPs) empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse.
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Joe B.
I have called Medicare 4 times concerned about robo calls. The callers tell me that I am eligible for free covid tests. I tell them I don’t want them I get them anyway and medicare is charged. I filed a claim with medicare twice. No one ever got back to me. When will you people do something about this expensive fraud that’s taking place?
Richard H.
I have been receiving Medicare and Social Security for many years. This seems like a “blow off steam” area. I never see any indication on follow-up. Email scams are blocked but >>>.
Somebody passes out new addresses to these scammers so they continue to appear. That provider is getting very rich.
Mike S.
I am painfully aware of the abuse our elders undergo having several seniors who I care for. I have often wondered why our phone providers don’t offer a service that will use an address book to validate all incoming calls. If not in the address book, the phone does not ring. Save MediCare a lot of money if the scammers couldn’t reach anyone. I would even sign up for that type of service.
Marc P.
Verizon provides this service for free. Anytime a call rings that is a potential fraud the screen is red and says “Potential Fraud.” Pick up at your own risk. This is only one of the many reasons I stay with Verizon Wireless. They do have plans that are inexpensive and this service comes free with all of their plans.
Lucile H.
I have received Medicare notices where 8 companies have filed claims for Covid 19 tests. This is fraud. . . Where did they get my Medicare number? I have reported it and I hope something gets done to stop this fraud. . .
Debra T.
I recently received a call from a lady with an Asian accent, asking if I had received my new Medicare card that had been mailed to me three days prior to her call. I advised her that I did not want to discuss my Medicare information with her and that I would contact Medicare for further information. At that point, she disconnected the call without further comments.
Robert J.
I am a resident in a nursing home. There are several people who come by here, apparently, to do service for me and the other residents. I have talked to them and no-one knows what they are doing. We all agree that they are billing Medicare for their “services”.
It would be a good idea to check the nursing homes and ALF’s to catch a lot of this fraudulent billing. I suspect the facilities get some gratuities from these people.
Robert
I have recieved medicare mail to my address for at least 5 yrs with different Chinese peoples names that all seem to be getting medicare using my address and have reported it but nothing happens or am not contacted about this ????? so this is seems to be a public annoucement about nothing as usual, for show only !!!!!!!!!!!!
Chris F.
I have a relative, mid 80s, that has no clue about computers, internet etc. She has been a victim multiple times of telephone scammers and has lost money.
She is also a victim of Medicare fraud. She receives medical “supplies” , DME, in the mail. I actually tracked down one of the companies, called and pretended to be her. They had a phone recording of her agreeing to receive the items. It was 3 years old!!
She does not understand any of this. She is 1000 miles from me and has very little assistance.
Recently some one from “medicare” called her to check on things. She said he was very nice. A month later I find out that her insurance was changed from United health care to Humana.
My point is, as the population ages more and more medicare recipes will be computer literate. But in the meantime there is a segment of elderly that are prayed upon and it is a very
disturbing situation.
Charlotte S.
I always review my medical bills to see if they are correct. Have been billed by a hospital for a test that they did not perform.
TRAVIS c.
Me and my wife have all sorts of stuff on out medicare account that are not legit how do we report it
Ann C.
Hi, Travis. Thanks for visiting our blog. You may wish to contact your local Medicare SHIP (State Health Insurance Program Coordinator) to discuss your concerns. We hope this helps.