New Medicare Benefit Scam Alert


Before you sign up for Medicare Part D, be sure you know who you’re talking to. Since plan enrollment began last November, Part D scams have been on the rise. To protect yourself and your loved ones from the threat of fraud or unwanted solicitations, stay alert and be aware of the following:

  • Do not give out personal information like Social Security numbers, credit card information, or bank account numbers to plan marketing representatives. Real plans are not allowed to request personal information in their marketing activities.

  • Plans cannot call outside the calling hours allowed by the federal government and states. Federal rules do not allow telemarketers to call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. State rules may vary.

  • Marketers are not permitted to make cold call home visits. If the consumer requests a visit from a representative, it’s permitted.

  • To stop repeated and unwanted sales calls, beneficiaries simply need to say "stop." Plans are required to honor "do not call again" requests from beneficiaries. To register for the federal "do not call" list to prevent all unsolicited marketing calls, go to www.donotcall.gov.

  • Avoid "steering" by doctors, hospitals, or pharmacists. Health care providers can offer their patients information, such as brochures, and answer questions, but they are not supposed to favor any plan and cannot enroll anyone.

  • Federal rules say plans can only offer gifts of "nominal value, " defined as a retail price of less that $15 dollars. Cash gifts, or things that can be readily converted to cash, are not permitted.
For additional information about drug plan options from an independent source, beneficiaries can go to www.medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

The Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan is available to both AICPA members and their spouses who are at least 65 years of age. Now, with the AICPA Parent's Plan, you have the opportunity to extend coverage to the eligible parents of you and your spouse.

This information has been contributed by Insight, a quarterly AICPA Medicare Supplement Insurance Program publication, F7801, 244767. It was featured in the Baltimore Sun, 10/01/2005; www.cwag.org, Vol. 9, No.1.


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