Page 12 - aruba-today-20220721

A12 BUSINESS
Thursday 21 July 2022
5 ways to protect yourself from

Medicare fraud

By ALEX ROSENBERG of
NerdWallet
Medicare fraud is big busi-
ness, and like most busi-
nesses, it has adapted to
the new environment of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The public health emer-
gency created an op-
portunity for fraudsters to
modify and repurpose ex-
isting schemes,” a spokes-
person for the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Ser-
vices, or CMS, said in an
email. CMS has seen bad Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center medical
actors take advantage professionals Tameiki Lee, right, Vanessa Cage, left, Marstonya
Butler, second from right, and Frances Triplett, second from
of wider demand for tele- left, confer prior to dispensing Moderna vaccinations at a
health, COVID-19 testing inoculation station next to Jackson State University in Jackson,
and vaccines as avenues Miss., Tuesday, July 19, 2022.
for identity theft and fraud- Associated Press
ulent billing.
The Department of Health number with trusted health services, or durable medi-
and Human Services’ Of- care providers or verified cal equipment like walkers
fice of Inspector General, COVID-19 vaccine admin- or braces.
or HHS-OIG, investigates istrators.” 3. DON’T GET TALKED INTO
fraud, waste and abuse in Unexpected callers or visi- UNNECESSARY CARE
federal health care pro- tors who ask for your Medi- Some schemes involve bill-
grams, including Medi- care information are sus- ing for expensive services
care. Nearly 9,000 calls picious, especially if they that you might not need.
came into its fraud hotline claim to work for Medi- For example, unscrupu-
each month, on average, care. According to CMS, lous COVID-19 testing sites
from April through Sep- Medicare will never visit might add on unnecessary
tember 2021, according to you at home, and a Medi- respiratory pathogen pan-
HHS-OIG’s Spring 2022 re- care representative would els that can cost upwards
port to Congress. ask for your Medicare of $500 . That’s according
Calling a fraud hotline number by phone only if to a January 2022 white
is one of several actions you’ve given permission in paper by the Healthcare
Medicare beneficiaries advance. Fraud Prevention Partner-
can take to protect them- 2. BEWARE OF FREE GIFTS ship, a public-private anti-
selves. Here are five tips to Fraudsters might try to fraud group.
help you avoid, detect and get your information by If you’re not certain, check
report Medicare fraud. offering you something with a trusted health care
1. PROTECT YOUR MEDI- for free in exchange. If provider to confirm wheth-
CARE NUMBER you’re asked to provide er a service is necessary
In the wrong hands, your your medical or financial and what it might cost.
Medicare number could information and promised 4. REVIEW YOUR HEALTH
be used to steal your iden- a supposedly free gift or CARE DOCUMENTS
tity or submit fraudulent service, “that’s something Medicare sends state-
medical bills. to question, or at least run ments to explain what
“Our top tip is to guard by a medical professional you were billed for, how
your Medicare number that you trust,” says Isaac much Medicare approved
just like your Social Secu- Bledsoe, an HHS-OIG crimi- and paid for services, and
rity (number) and credit nal investigator. the maximum amount
cards,” the CMS spokes- Common examples of free you may owe to health
person said. “You should offers might include COV- care providers. Watch for
only share your Medicare ID-19 tests, genetic testing any unexpected items or
charges on these state-
ments. To help you keep
track of everything, you
can request a free “My
Health Care Tracker “ from
your state’s Senior Medi-
care Patrol, or SMP. SMPs
are grant-funded projects
that provide resources and
counseling to help counter
Medicare fraud, errors and
abuse. q