June is bringing awareness to Medicare, Medicaid and hospice care scams that can affect older adults across New York. Maria Alvarez, director of the StateWide Senior Action Council, spoke about when these scams happen and how to avoid them.
One component of StateWide Fraud Month is highlighting resources seniors can use to educate themselves and learn what to look out for. The Senior Medicare Patrol is one resource for older adults and caregivers in New York. It is a federal program that connects people with someone who can answer questions and help make sure their information is protected. Another important part of identifying these scams is understanding what hospice care is and what the support is actually for.
These healthcare scams can come in many forms, including over the phone, in person at events or online. Even after June, StateWide continues to provide information, educational presentations and assistance.
Alvarez encourages seniors and caregivers to reach out if they suspect a scam offering services not prescribed by a physician, as well as report fraud to the New York State Senior Medicare Patrol. The helpline and patrol can offer advice throughout the process and help flag the scam.
There are trained counselors available to help Medicare beneficiaries throughout the process. Scams can include offers to help with housekeeping or provide additional care services.
“Medicare doesn’t cover many of these services anyway, so if somebody’s telling you, ‘I’m gonna give you housekeeping,’ Medicare doesn’t cover that,” Alvarez said.
Scams can also involve offering a gift card in exchange for signing up for a service. One of the best ways to determine whether information was compromised is to regularly review Medicare summary notices and explanation of benefits forms. These can show charges that have not been received or approved and help ensure no care is being provided without the older adult’s or caregiver’s knowledge.
“Don’t trust anybody who’s calling you on the telephone, who is approaching you at a senior fair or anything like that,” Alvarez said. “Your doctor, this should be part of a care plan that your personal doctor is prescribing that you have discussed with him and that knows your situation.”
For more information, visit the NYS Senior website.