When someone offers you something of value in exchange for having Medicare cover something in your name—you know it’s more than likely that they’re a crook.
Every January I would have at least a dozen patients call the office in tears. They had changed their Medicare Advantage insurance to another carrier—usually with a “free gift” attached.
And when they began to use their coverage, they found it was no good and the “agent” responsible nowhere to be found.
We were the only place where they could turn. I shudder to think what would happen if we weren’t there to help
It’s illegal to give you something in exchange for a product or service that will be billed to Medicare, even if it doesn’t cost you anything personally.
Someone who does this has no scruples.
If they’re willing to steal from the Federal Government, they’re willing to steal from you too.
At the least, they might disrupt your relationship with your healthcare provider.
This is an ENORMOUS problem with folks who are on both Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. They are targeted as especially vulnerable to the use of freebie enticements.
If this is you and you’ve used one of these exceptional Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans to land yourself a medical home, hold on with both hands.
Don’t allow yourself to be lured into changing your coverage for $50, or a ticket to a football game. Instead, use the offer as a cue to run the other way.
The person that really gets cheated might just be yourself.