CMS launches fraud prevention campaign
(June 21, 2010) - As eligible seniors who have entered the Medicare Part D donut hole this year begin to receive their tax-free, one time rebate check for $250, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and senior officials from the Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a national education effort to ensure that seniors know how to protect themselves from potential scams or fraud.
On the CMS website, the news release explains the campaign this way:
"Since early April, we have learned of seniors across the country who are being asked for personal information to help them get a rebate check," said CMS Acting Administrator Marilynn Tavenner. "Beneficiaries who reach the donut hole will get a check mailed to the same address Medicare uses to send them information now without doing anything special. Seniors should be on the look-out for scams where people they don't know ask them for their personal information in order to get their checks. This is not how the process will work.
"Checks will come directly to beneficiaries who qualify for this benefit under the Affordable Care Act. Seniors or family members should contact us at 1-800-MEDICARE to report any of these types of calls or go to the stopmedicarefraud.gov website to learn more about efforts to fight scams like these."