Understanding Medicare and Take the Detour Away From Fraud

“Medicare is so confusing” is a statement that I hear several times a week. While that may be so, under-standing it may help guide you away from fraudulent activities. Most folks are getting several phone calls and advertisements mailed to them daily. You may have had the thought, “How could they be so gullible to fall for that line?” Well before you think it cannot happen, please consider the content of the rest of this article. Marketing organizations spend a lot of money trying to win the Medicare business, even hiring celebrities to peak the attention of Medicare beneficiaries. Recently a lot of the focus is around the part B premium give backs. They use slogans such as “learn how to save $148.50 per month,” and “get all the benefits you deserve.” While there are two ways to get a partial or total part B give back every month, the ads do not go on to explain that a full premium give back requires income and asset levels as well as applying to a state agency for that process. The insinuation is that in one phone call, it’s possible to “get you all you need.” Sometimes the goal of those advertisements is just to get a phone call started to change the plan you are currently on. As with any television advertisement, the goal is sales.

In most other years, Medicare calls start coming in August. For 2021 however, the calls and mailings have not stopped, Medicare enrollers have used new technology to find ways to pick up business. With Covid numbers on the rise, insurance companies have made it easier to enroll Medicare beneficiaries online or on the phone. The downside of that is, it also made it easier for those who would be willing to commit fraud for business. If you receive a phone call stating that they will “help with prescription costs,” require that they be specific about those costs. Ask for them to send you information so you can compare such savings. Generally speaking, if it is not a better deal for you, the phone enroller will not be willing to take the time to verify. A sales goal is to make the sale quickly, and if possible, in the current phone call. Don’t be rushed into buying a plan, know what you are buying. Medicare Advantage and Drug Plans ARE changing for 2022, Medicare clients will be receiving their Annual Notice of Change letters from their current insurance companies any day now. Once the letter comes, read it, and if you do not understand how the changes affect you talk to someone, a trusted friend or an insurance agent who has been trained in the 2022 plan changes. Be proactive, so you are not surprised by spending more money than needed in 2022. The opportunity to make such changes is between October 15 until December 7, 2021. Protect your Medicare number, as you would your social security or banking information. Medicare insurance agents do need the information to make plan changes. But you should feel a level of comfort that the agent or agency you are working with will protect this important information for you. Again, don’t be afraid to ask, it is much easier to detour fraud than to find yourself a victim. Most detours are not convenient and require more time to get where you are going. But in the case of Medicare, taking the time to know what route works best for you, is the best fraud deterrent.

– Sharon Crain Williams, Agent, ET Insurance, Inc