MEDICARE CONSUMER ALERT - March 7, 2006
Description
Collection
Title:
MEDICARE CONSUMER ALERT - March 7, 2006
Text:
Dear US O&P Colleagues:
This Alert was just released by CMS. Please pass this on to your patients
and/or consider posting it your office!
John N. Billock, CPO/L, FAAOP
____________________________________
MEDICARE CONSUMER ALERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CMS Media Affairs
March 7, 2006
Medicare Beneficiaries Urged to be on the Look-out for Phone Scams
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) warns seniors and people
with disabilities to be aware of a scheme that asks Medicare beneficiaries
for money and checking account information to help them enroll in a Medicare
Prescription Drug Plan.
This scheme is called the “$299 Ring” for the typical amount of money
Medicare beneficiaries are talked into withdrawing from their checking accounts to
pay for a non-existent prescription drug plan. Consumers can report these
cases to their local law enforcement agencies or 1-877-7SAFERX
(1-877-772-3379).
Medicare has received complaints from Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts New Jersey and Georgia. Complaints have been made against a number
of different companies, but authorities believe that the companies are the
same and are typically based outside the U. S. As soon as CMS receives these
complaints, they are investigated and referred to federal law enforcement
authorities.
No Medicare drug plan can ask a person with Medicare for bank account or
other personal information over the telephone. No beneficiary should ever
provide that kind of information to a caller. They should contact their local
police department if they believe someone is trying to take money or information
from them illegally.
People with Medicare should also remember that they should be on the lookout
for anyone trying to take advantage of them and take steps to protect
themselves by remembering:
* No one can come into your home uninvited.
* No one can ask you for personal information during their marketing
activities.
* Always keep all personal information, such as your Medicare number,
safe, just as you would a credit card or a bank account number.
* Whenever you have a question or concern about any activity regarding
Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
In addition, legitimate Medicare drug plans will not ask for payment over
the telephone or the Internet. They must bill the beneficiary for the monthly
premium. Typically, that amount is set up as an automatic withdrawal from the
beneficiary’s monthly Social Security check. Beneficiaries may also opt to
pay the monthly premiums in other ways such as writing a check or setting up
automatic payments from their checking accounts.
This Alert was just released by CMS. Please pass this on to your patients
and/or consider posting it your office!
John N. Billock, CPO/L, FAAOP
____________________________________
MEDICARE CONSUMER ALERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CMS Media Affairs
March 7, 2006
Medicare Beneficiaries Urged to be on the Look-out for Phone Scams
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) warns seniors and people
with disabilities to be aware of a scheme that asks Medicare beneficiaries
for money and checking account information to help them enroll in a Medicare
Prescription Drug Plan.
This scheme is called the “$299 Ring” for the typical amount of money
Medicare beneficiaries are talked into withdrawing from their checking accounts to
pay for a non-existent prescription drug plan. Consumers can report these
cases to their local law enforcement agencies or 1-877-7SAFERX
(1-877-772-3379).
Medicare has received complaints from Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts New Jersey and Georgia. Complaints have been made against a number
of different companies, but authorities believe that the companies are the
same and are typically based outside the U. S. As soon as CMS receives these
complaints, they are investigated and referred to federal law enforcement
authorities.
No Medicare drug plan can ask a person with Medicare for bank account or
other personal information over the telephone. No beneficiary should ever
provide that kind of information to a caller. They should contact their local
police department if they believe someone is trying to take money or information
from them illegally.
People with Medicare should also remember that they should be on the lookout
for anyone trying to take advantage of them and take steps to protect
themselves by remembering:
* No one can come into your home uninvited.
* No one can ask you for personal information during their marketing
activities.
* Always keep all personal information, such as your Medicare number,
safe, just as you would a credit card or a bank account number.
* Whenever you have a question or concern about any activity regarding
Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
In addition, legitimate Medicare drug plans will not ask for payment over
the telephone or the Internet. They must bill the beneficiary for the monthly
premium. Typically, that amount is set up as an automatic withdrawal from the
beneficiary’s monthly Social Security check. Beneficiaries may also opt to
pay the monthly premiums in other ways such as writing a check or setting up
automatic payments from their checking accounts.
Citation
“MEDICARE CONSUMER ALERT - March 7, 2006,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 24, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/226366.
