COLUMBUS, Ohio (ADAMS) – Department of Insurance Director Judith L. French urges Ohioans on Medicare to guard against scams seeking their personal information when selecting 2022 coverage during the Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 open enrollment period.
The Department of Insurance released the following:
“Fraud is rampant this time of year. Scammers know people are overwhelmed evaluating the different Medicare plans,” French said. “I encourage Ohioans to learn how to best protect themselves and become more familiar with Medicare. As a consumer protection agency, we’re closely monitoring the marketplace with our partners to protect Ohioans.”
Ohioans should be on alert for fake Medicare communications seeking personal information or money in exchange for any of the following: to help with enrollment, to schedule health services, to sign up for a Part D prescription drug plan or Medicare health plan coverage, and to provide a new Medicare card.
How to protect yourself:
Never give personal information, including Medicare, Social Security, bank account, and credit card numbers, to anyone who contacts you unsolicited by telephone, email, text, or in person, such as door-to-door sales.
Medicare will never call you to sell anything, visit your home, or enroll you over the phone unless you called first.
Medicare or Medicare health plans will only call and request personal information if you’re a plan member or you called and left a message.
Only give certain personal information to your doctors, insurance companies acting on your behalf, or trusted people in the community officially working with Medicare such as the department’s Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP).
Report fraud and predatory sales practices:OSHIIP partners with Ohio’s Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) to detect and report wrongdoing. The SMP provides education and response to reported Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse. Contact SMP at 800-488-6070.
If you feel an insurance agent is using high-pressure, fraudulent, or dishonest sales practices, contact the department’s Fraud and Enforcement Division at 800-686-1527 or the SMP.
For Medicare plan information and to enroll, visit www.medicare.gov.To determine the license status of an insurance company or agent, go to www.insurance.ohio.gov. On the website. you’ll also find an in-person and virtual OSHIIP Medicare Check-up Day events schedule. OSHIIP representatives are available at 800-686-1578 to answer Medicare questions.