Friday, April 11, 2014
Please share this Fraud Alert with colleagues, consumers, or other professionals in your area. If you have any questions about the Illinois SMP program, or to receive these Fraud Alerts directly, please contact Jason Echols, Healthcare Consumer Protection Coordinator at AgeOptions.
This document was supported in part by a grant (No. 90MP0163 & 90SP0061) from the Administration on Aging (AoA), Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Grantees carrying out projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Therefore, points of view or opinions do not necessarily represent official AoA, ACL, or DHHS policy.
Fraud In The News
The following are current news articles about health care and fraud issues.
Health Care Fraud:
1. “Alton Doctor Sentenced on Charges of Health Care Fraud and Illegal Dispensation of Controlled Substances” (FBI): http://www.fbi.gov/springfield/press-releases/2014/alton-doctor-sentenced-on-charges-of-health-care-fraud-and-illegal-dispensation-of-controlled-substances
Consumer Fraud:
2. ““Pending FTC Complaint” Emails are Fakes” (FTC): http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/pending-ftc-complaint-emails-are-fakes
3. “Fake IRS Collectors are Calling” (FTC): http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/fake-irs-collectors-are-calling /
Dear SMP readers,
This week’s Fraud Alert celebrates National Volunteer Week by highlighting the great work of our SMP volunteers and contains a story about lead generator mailings that use an actual program to get your contact information.
Have a great weekend!
What you will find in this week’s Fraud Alert
· Volunteers are the Key to Spreading SMP Message in Illinois
· Letter Uses Medicare Savings Program as a Lead Generator
Volunteers are the Key to Spreading SMP Message in Illinois
In 2013, 51 volunteers across Illinois contributed a total of 991 hours to the SMP Program. Our volunteers make calls to schedule outreach, give SMP presentations in their communities, share SMP information at health fairs, and deliver SMP materials to local sites. With their help, we reached over 33,000 beneficiaries and caregivers in Illinois in 2013.
This week is National Volunteer Week (April 6-12), a time to inspire, recognize, and encourage people to seek out ways to serve their communities, but at the Illinois SMP Program, we like to think that every week is Volunteer Week because volunteers are at the core of everything we do. We are very grateful to our volunteers and thank them for the great work they do across Illinois.
To find out more about volunteering with SMP or learn more about our volunteers, visit our SMP Volunteer webpage: http://www.ageoptions.org/services-and-programs_SMP_Volunteer.html. Also, visit our AgeOptions Facebook page for highlights of some SMP and AgeOptions volunteers from this week: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AgeOptions/132016633550504.
Letter Uses Medicare Savings Program as a Lead Generator
One of our partners had a client who received a letter claiming that the state may be able to pay his monthly Medicare Part B premium ($104.90 for most people in 2014) with a program called the Medicare Savings Program. The letter asked him to fill out and return a form asking for his name, age, and phone number. In small print, the letter says that it is “not affiliated with or endorsed by any state or federal government or Medicare program.” This type of letter is called a lead generator, and if you return it, you are giving a company permission to contact or call you. This may lead to calls about this program and likely other calls to sell you something.
The Medicare Savings Program is a real program that helps some people pay for their monthly Medicare premiums. However, there is a better way to get information about whether or not you qualify for this or other benefit programs. You can visit www.BenefitsCheckUp.org where you can answer a questionnaire and find out what programs you may qualify for. If you would like to talk someone about these programs, you can always call your local senior service agency. Find those numbers with the Eldercare Locator at www.eldercare.gov.
Jason B. Echols, MSW, Health Care Consumer Protection Coordinator
AgeOptions
1048 Lake Street, Suite 300
Oak Park, IL 60301
phone (708)383-0258 fax (708)524-0870
ageoptions.org
AgeOptions, the Area Agency on Aging of Suburban Cook County, is committed to improving the quality of life and maintaining the dignity of older adults and those who care about them – through leadership and support, community partnerships, comprehensive services, accurate information and powerful advocacy.
Fraud Alerts contain information about current scams taking place in Illinois, announcements and updates about programs or services related to health care and/or fraud protection, and links to news articles about health care and fraud topics. Please forward any recommendations or announcements that you would like to be included in a future Fraud Alert to .