Medicare Rx Drug Coverage
Here’s what you need to know to take advantage of the
Medicare discount drug card program and protect yourself from fraud.
- Check the
list of Medicare-approved prescription drug plans. The list of
approved plans and other information about the program are
available at www.medicare.gov
and by calling toll-free, 1-800-633-4227 (TTY users should call
1-877-486-2048.) Medicare prescription drug plans, which will be
offered by private companies and organizations, must meet specific
federal standards and be approved by the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services in the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS).
- Beware if
someone says you must join or you’ll lose your other
Medicare benefits, it’s a scam. The Medicare
prescription drug benefit is voluntary. It supplements your other
Medicare benefits.
- Guard your
personal information from identity thieves posing as sales people.
Legitimate plans may ask for your Social Security number, but only
when you are actually enrolling. And they may only ask for your
credit card or bank account information if you are arranging to
make automatic payments for your drug coverage from that account.
- If someone
claims to be calling from the Social Security Administration (SSA)
and asks for your bank account, credit card, or life insurance
policy numbers, it’s a scam. SSA will never ask for that
information, and the only time someone calling from the SSA will
ask for your Social Security number is if you applied for
low-income assistance and the number you put on your application
wasn’t correct.
- Know the law
on how Medicare prescription drug plans can be marketed. It’s
illegal for companies or organizations marketing Medicare drug
plans to come to your door uninvited or to send you unsolicited
emails. Companies and organizations can call to promote their drug
plans, but it’s illegal for them to sign people up during
those calls. They must also obey telemarketing laws: it’s
illegal to call before 8 am or after 9 pm; call people whose
telephone numbers are on a state or the federal "do not
call" registry (with some exceptions); or call people who
have asked not to be called again. For more information about your
telemarketing rights and to put your phone number on the federal
"do not call" registry, go to www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222.
- Medicare
prescription drug plans should come with no strings attached. Companies
and organizations can offer modest prizes or gifts (but not cash)
to promote their Medicare prescription drug plans – for
instance, to people who attend a sales presentation – but
it’s illegal to require anyone to join a drug plan in order
to get a prize or gift.
- Don’t
be fooled by sales materials that look like they’re from the
government. Con artists often try to impress consumers with
official-looking sales materials that look like they’re from
a government agency. Since it is private companies who are
offering the plans, be skeptical about promotional materials
claiming to come from the government.
- Don’t
confuse other types of drug coverage with Medicare prescription
drug plans. Only plans approved by Medicare can be marketed as
Medicare prescription drug plans. Approved plans will have a seal
on their materials with "Medicare Rx" in large letters
and "Prescription Drug Coverage" in smaller letters
under that. Check with Medicare to make sure that the plan you’re
considering is approved.
- Report
suspected Medicare drug plan scams. Call the Office of
Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services,
1-800-447-8477, TTY 1-800-337-4950 (information about the Medicare
drug plans is not available at these numbers). You can also report
Medicare-related fraud by sending an email to HHSTips@oig.hhs.gov or writing to
Inspector General, HHS, Attention:
Hotline, 330
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20201.
Information on this website is provided by Chris Triolo, additional
information on internet Frauds and Scams can be found at www.FBI.gov or www.nclnet.org
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