Scammers taking advantage of Medicare

CODY (WNE) — Medicare beneficiaries across the country are finding charges worth thousands of dollars on their Medicare statements related to urinary catheters that were not needed or received.
“Scammers are taking advantage of the Medicare program and billing for unnecessary products, which is hurting the program. This is also putting Medicare beneficiaries’ Medicare card numbers at risk and compromising their medical identities,” said Sandy Goodman, Wyoming Senior Medicare Patrol.
The SMP program exists in every U.S. state, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C. It assists Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers to prevent, detect and report health care fraud.
SMPs started receiving complaints of urinary catheter claims in May 2023.
They saw a handful of complaints per month until August 2023, when the number of complaints jumped 750%.
Through the end of the year, SMPs continued to receive a staggering number of complaints, with the highest number to date received in December 2023.
The SMP program recommends that people regularly check their and/or their loved ones’ Medicare statements to make sure that Medicare wasn’t billed for items or services that were never requested or received.
To learn how to read Medicare statements or get help with a compromised Medicare number, contact your local SMP. The SMP can also help you request a new Medicare number and report the claims.
To contact the Wyoming Senior Medicare Patrol, call (800) 856-4398 or visit https://wysmp.org.