GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The pandemic has left many people unemployed and uninsured. But during current open enrollment periods for Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, people have to make sure they’re signing up for the right things.
“Every time at this time of year we hear about people impersonating Medicare officials or even unreputable companies,” said Susan Bach of the Better Business Bureau.
Those scammers will often pose as Medicare advisors or healthcare benefits advocates, claiming they can get you enrolled into a cheaper and better program.
“If they get an unsolicited call during this time period, take extra steps to make sure that you don’t give out your personal information to a scammer or get tricked into switching healthcare insurance plans,” Bach told WTAQ News. “Medicare is not going to call you unsolicited. So if Medicare is showing up on your caller ID, that could be a red flag…Never give out personal information like your Medicare ID number, your social security number, any kind of personal information, unless you have initiated that call.”
Some may even try to offer free gifts or free healthcare screenings. Even if it’s a real offer, that could be against Medicare rules.
“This may just be a ploy to get you to share your personal information, or it could be that they’re trying to weed out the less healthy people by cherry picking an offering these free health screenings,” Bach said.
If you are unsure whether a call or offer is from Medicare, or you gave your personal information to someone claiming to be with Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE to report it. If you suspect fraud when signing up for ACA coverage, go to HealthCare.gov or call the Health Insurance Marketplace call center at 800-318-2596.
For more tips from BBB on avoiding health care scams, check BBB.org/HealthCareScam. If you’ve been the victim of a scam, please report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker. By sharing your experience, you can help others avoid falling victim to similar scams.
