Lumaktaw sa pangunahing content

Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft


How can I protect myself from identity theft?

Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information without your consent to commit fraud or other crimes. Personal information includes things like your name and your Social Security, Medicare, credit card or bank account numbers, and your Medicare.gov user name and password. Guard your cards and protect your Medicare and Social Security Numbers. Keep this information safe.

Only give personal information, like your Medicare Number, to doctors, insurers or plans acting on your behalf and/ or trusted people in the community who work with Medicare like your State Health Insurance Program (SHIP). Don't share your Medicare Number or other personal information with anyone who contacts you by phone, email, or in person. Medicare, or someone representing Medicare, will only call you in limited situations:
  • Medicare health or drug plan can call if you're already a member of the plan. The agent who helped you join can also call.
  • A customer service representative from 1-800-MEDICARE can call you if you've called and left a message, or a representative said that someone would call you back. If you suspect identity theft or feel like you gave your personal information to someone you shouldn't have, call your local police department and the Federal Trae Commission's ID Theft hotline at 1-877-438-4338. TTY users can call 1-866-653-4261. Visit ftc.gob/idtheft to learn more.

How can I protect myself from fraud and medical identity theft?

Medical fraud and medical identity theft can cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year. Medical identity theft is when someone steals or uses your personal information to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health insurers without your permission. When you get health care services, record the dates on a calendar and save the receipts and statements you get from providers to check for mistakes. If you think you see an error or are billed for services you didn't get, take these steps to find out what was billed:

  • Check your "Medicare Summary Notice" (MSN) if you have Original Medicare to see if the service was billed to Medicare. If you're in a Medicare health plan, check the statements you get from your plan.
  • If you know the health care provider or supplier, call and ask for an itemized statement. They should give this to you within 30 days.
  • Visit MyMedicare.gov to view your Medicare claims if you have Original Medicare. Your claims are generally available online within 24 hours after processing. You can also download your claims information by suing Medicare's Blue Button.

If you've contacted the provider and you suspect that Medicare is being charged for a service that you didn't get, or you don't know the provider on the claim, call 1-800-MEDICARE.

Visit Medicare.gov, or contact your local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) for more information.
For information about the SMP program, visit smpresources.org or call 1-877-808-2468.
You can also visit oig.hhs.gov or call the fraud hotline of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). 







Mga etiketa:

Mga Komento

Mag-post ng isang Komento

Mga sikat na post sa blog na ito

Medicare and Hospital Discharged Planning

Hospital  discharge  planning is a process that determines what kind of care you will need after you leave the hospital. This discharge plans can help prevent future readmissions , and they should make your move from the hospital to your home or another facility as safe as possible. Medicare  requires hospitals to screen  inpatients  and provide discharge p lanning for those who need it. But this  is only mandatory for hospital inpatients, if you are an  outpatient, possibly  on  observation status,   Medicare will not require screening or discharge planning. However, there are some states that provide outpatients with rights to discharge planning services. For more information on discharge planning in your state, please contact your  State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) . Your  discharge plan  should include information about where you will be discharged to, the types of care you need, and who will provi...
Mag-post ng isang Komento
Magbasa nang higit pa

Medicare Part D Costs for 2020

Before 2006, Medicare did not cover prescription medications. There was a limited number of medications that were offered under Medicare Part Band,  and otherwise, you had to pay for your medications out of pocket. In 2003, everything had changed when President George W. Bush passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA). This is what we now know of as  Medicare Part D , an optional part of Medicare that provides prescription drug coverage. Part D plans are run by private insurance companies and not by the government. However, the federal government sets guidelines on what basic medications are covered and how much you can be charged.  A deductible is the amount of money you spend out of pocket before your prescription drug benefits begin. Your plan may or may not have a deductible. The maximum deductible a plan can charge for 2020 is set at $435. It has increased by  $20 from 2019...
Mag-post ng isang Komento
Magbasa nang higit pa

Medicare & group health plan after you retire

Will my group health plan still work after I retire? It would depend on the terms of your specific plan. Other employers might not offer any health coverage after your retirement and even if you can get one, it might have different rules and might not work the same way with Medicare. When you have retiree coverage from an employer or union, they usually manage this coverage. Employers aren't required to provide retiree coverage, and if they would, they can change benefits or premiums, or even cancel coverage.  They may offer coverage that limits how much it will pay. It might only provide a stop-loss coverage that starts paying your out-of-pocket costs only when they reach of coverage that's covered. What happens to my retiree coverage when I'm eligible for Medicare? When you become eligible for Medicare, you will need to have both Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B to get full benefits from your retiree coverage. If your former employer offers retiree...
Mag-post ng isang Komento
Magbasa nang higit pa