Medicare Fraud and Scams: What Can You Do To Protect Yourself?
Medicare fraud has the ability to hurt a lot of people in so many different ways, including high costs and taxes, but also not receiving necessary treatment or services because the people pulling your leg are criminals.
Medicare fraud leads to hundreds of millions of dollars being lost every year, and preventing it falls first to patients and their families.
The absolute, most important thing to do is read the Medicare Summary Notice, or MSN, word by word in order to make sure you are not being short changed or not. If you are not sure about a certain section of the statement or do not know what you need then a doctor will be able to help you.
If a doctor does not offer much help then calling the company that paid your claim is your next option. You can find their phone number and other information right on the MSN and they will always try to help with Medicare fraud. If you are still unsure or there isn’t even a MSN to look over then calling the 1-800-447-8477 hotline is what you need to do.
Being a smart customer also stops Medicare fraud from happening in the first place. For instance, if a provider claims they’re endorsed by the government or by Medicare, be suspicious, especially if they say they represent Medicare or contact you door-to-door or by telemarketing.
Never give your Medicare card or Health Insurance Claim Number to a provider who says Medicare doesn’t usually cover the service, but they know how to get around it; also don’t deal with providers who say that Medicare wants you to receive more money. Medicare is an insurance company, and no insurance program ever chooses to pay more than is absolutely required.
Also, never give your number or card to a provider who says they’ll do something for free if you do so. That’s a sign they’ll be billing Medicare for something that you probably didn’t receive.
Medicare fraud continues to be a problem, but you can help prevent it. Find out more about Medicare scams and fraud at Medicare.gov
I am hoping that you found this article helpful. Other related article on the subject: Report Medicare Fraud. For additional info on medicare fraud, please visit http://medicare-benefits.com
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