Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has made combating Medicare fraud a cornerstone of his leadership, emphasizing the dual threat it poses to taxpayer dollars and the personal health information of beneficiaries. Fraudulent activities, including unauthorized use of Medicare numbers to claim services not rendered or needed, not only drain billions from government coffers annually but also risk the integrity of individuals' medical records, potentially affecting their care.
To combat this issue, Dr. Oz outlines several proactive measures beneficiaries can take. These include guarding Medicare cards as carefully as credit cards, never sharing Medicare information with unsolicited contacts, and being wary of offers that seem too good to be true. Additionally, he advises regularly reviewing Medicare claims statements for discrepancies and reporting any suspicious activity immediately by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.
A particularly alarming scam involves fraudsters posing as salespeople, targeting older Americans with offers of free services to enroll them in hospice care without their knowledge. Dr. Oz stresses that health care decisions should always be made in consultation with a doctor, not a salesperson, and urges beneficiaries to remain vigilant.
Protecting Medicare is not just about financial savings; it's about ensuring the health and safety of beneficiaries and the sustainability of a system millions rely on. For more information on how to protect against Medicare fraud, visit Medicare.gov/fraud.
