Medicare Fraud Prevention Month - Be a Hero

Des Moines, Iowa - Fraud costs Medicare an estimated $60 billion per year. It costs Medicare beneficiaries time, stress, their medical identities, and potentially their health. It costs families, friends, and caregivers worry and valuable time when helping their loved ones recover from Medicare fraud.

"Medicare fraud has a devastating impact on both beneficiaries and the Medicare program," said Kristin Griffith the Iowa Insurance Director's Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Director. "We teach people how to avoid Medicare fraud. This helps Iowans and protects the Medicare program for generations to come."

Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) invites Iowans to be heroes and join in the fight to prevent Medicare Fraud. "We're excited to teach people how to protect themselves and loved ones from Medicare fraud, and about the services that the Senior Medicare Patrol program offers," said Griffith.

Medicare beneficiaries can participate in the Iowa SHIIP-SMP Fraud Prevention Challenge by visiting the SHIIP-SMP website and completing five simple tasks:

• Pledge to guard Medicare card numbers: For scammers, Medicare numbers are as valuable as credit cards. Beneficiaries should not share Medicare numbers over the phone or with anyone who is not a trusted health provider.
• Review their Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB): Monitor insurance statements to ensure products and services received match what is on the statements.
  • Tips on how to read MSN and EOB insurance statements can be found on the SHIIP-SMP website.
• Request a free My Healthcare Tracker: Beneficiaries participating in the Challenge can request a free My Health Care Tracker to track services. Get a digital version of the tracker from the SMP website.
• Sign up to receive the SHIIP-SMP quarterly e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook: Stay connected with SHIIP-SMP for regular updates on new and changing Medicare scams, critical changes to Medicare, and reminders about important dates or deadlines.
• Share the Iowa SHIIP-SMP Fraud Prevention Challenge: Educate family and friends about the steps they should be taking to avoid Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse.

The Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is ready to provide you with the information you need to:

• PROTECT yourself from Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse;
• DETECT potential fraud, errors, and abuse; and
• REPORT your concerns.

SMPs across the country help educate and empower Medicare beneficiaries in the fight against health care fraud. Iowa SMP can help you with your questions, concerns, or complaints regarding potential fraud and abuse. For support, call 1-800-351-4664.