Protecting yourself from Medicare fraud

By Family Features

Anyone on Medicare is at risk of Medicare-related fraud. Watch out for scammers who steal Medicare numbers and other personal information to exploit beneficiaries’ benefits.

Broadly speaking, Medicare fraud occurs when someone makes false claims for healthcare services, procedures and equipment in order to obtain Medicare payments. Medicare fraud costs taxpayers billions of dollars and puts the health and

welfare of beneficiaries at risk.

How to spot Medicare scams

There are many types of Medicare scams — taking the form of unsolicited emails, phone calls, text messages, social media posts and phony websites.

Scammers often claim to be from the Medicare office, an insurance company or a government office. They’ll ask for your personal and financial information, such as your Medicare or Social Security number, so that

Don’t run the risk of having No Plan.

they can submit false claims for payment.

Remember that Medicare will never call, text, email or contact you through social media asking for your Medicare number.

To protect yourself from potential fraudsters:

—Guard your Medicare number just like your Social Security card and credit card.

—Share your Medicare number only with trusted healthcare providers.

—Review your Medicare statements, watch for services billed that look suspicious, and ask questions if something looks wrong.

How to report scammers

If you or someone you know have experienced Medicare fraud or suspect an offer you’ve received is a scam, report it as soon as possible.

To learn more about Medicare fraud, visit Medicare.gov/fraud. To report potential Medicare fraud, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Information provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

the first spouse dies.

gate longevity risk is to delay claiming Social Security, Vernon said.

Social Security retirement benefits can start as early as age 62, but applying before your full retirement age — which is currently between 66 and 67 — means your check is permanently reduced.

Delaying your application beyond full retirement age can add 8% each year you wait until your benefit maxes out at age 70.

Delaying is particularly important for the higher earner in a married couple, since it’s the higher earner’s benefit that determines what the survivor gets after

A 2022 paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research found that virtually all American workers ages 45 to 62 should delay their applications beyond age 65 to maximize their benefits, and that more than 90% should wait until age 70. But currently, only about 10% of applicants wait that long, the researchers found.

“Most people just don’t understand how long they could live in retirement, and they don’t plan for it,” Vernon said.

Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and the author of “Your Credit Score.”

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