Senior Medicare (Fraud) Patrol
South Carolina SMP’s purpose is to educate Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries and caregivers about Medicare/Medicaid benefits in order to understand Medicare Statements such as Medicare Summary Notices (MSN), Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) Explanations of Benefits (EOB) and other related health care statements. Through this knowledge, a person can identify, resolve and/or report possible billing errors, fraud, abuse and waste to the SMP.
Unfortunately, unscrupulous people take advantage of the Medicare program. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself from Medicare fraud.
- Never give out account numbers or other personal information to someone who calls or visits you.
- No one should come to your home uninvited to sell you a plan.
- Protect your Medicare number, rarely are Medicare services “free”.
There is a good Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Fraud pamphlet that you can view online.
BE SMART, know your Medicare rights; be empowered to detect and report healthcare fraud.
You can also read a column about fraud awareness by the Lt. Governor that was distributed to newspapers statewide in early December.
For more information on this or other insurance topics, please call us. The process for reporting suspected fraud abuse and waste is to contact the provider to seek resolution. If the situation is not resolved, you should contact the SMP program at 800-868-9095
Useful Links
- Medicare.gov
- The official Medicare website.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- More information on the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage. This site can be somewhat technical.