Avoid Medicare Marketing Scams

Stephen Tweed | November 3, 2009 | Newsroom
It is no secret that health care services for the elderly have remained lucrative despite the current economic crisis. Not only are legitimate service providers continuing to grow, but scam artists are also on the rise.Medicare scams are growing. Coupled with legitimate senior service marketing are scams that defraud Medicare, overcharge seniors, and even scams…

It is no secret that health care services for the elderly have remained lucrative despite the current economic crisis. Not only are legitimate service providers continuing to grow, but scam artists are also on the rise.

Medicare scams are growing. Coupled with legitimate senior service marketing are scams that defraud Medicare, overcharge seniors, and even scams that use false Medicare marketing to commit identity theft.

Seniors will become victims of Medicare scams in your community, and many could be your clients or potential clients. With their savings drained and trust broken, they may be inclined to refuse any kind of senior care, and influence their friends to do the same.

Educate your caregivers and care managers on how to help your clients avoid Medicare scams. There are some common red flags that may indicate a Medicare scam.

• Charged co-payments on clinical laboratory tests, and on Medicare covered preventive services such as PAP smears, prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests, or flu and pneumonia shots.
• Routinely waived co-payments on any services, other than those previously mentioned, without checking your ability to pay.
• Advertised “free” consultations to People with Medicare.
• Claimed they represent Medicare.
• Used pressure or scare tactics to sell you high priced medical services or diagnostic tests.
• Billed Medicare for services you did not receive.
• Used telemarketing and door-to-door selling as marketing tools

It is also prohibited for Medicare marketers to approach your senior in any of the following situations:

• Door to door solicitation – coming to your home without an invite
• Approaching you in a parking lot, hallway, lobby, etc.
• Unsolicited telephone contact
• Unsolicited emails (unless you have given out your email address)

Direct mail marketing is legal. Legitimate Medicare marketers will use the following language in their printed promotional material.

• Advertising pieces – “This is an advertisement;”
• Plan information – “Important plan information about your enrollment”
• Health – “Health or wellness or prevention information”

If your client feels they may have been a victim of a Medicare scam, refer them to the Office of Inspector General Hotline. This hotline is confidential.

The Hotline can be contacted:

By Phone: 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477)

By Fax: 1-800-223-8164
(no more than 10 pages please)

By E-Mail: HHSTips@oig.hhs.gov

By Mail: Office of the Inspector General
HHS TIPS Hotline
P.O. Box 23489
Washington, DC 20026

If any client or caregiver feels they have suspicions of fraud they can contact the Medicare’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Stephen Tweed
Stephen Tweed is among the top Thought Leaders in Home Care today. As an industry researcher, author, and executive coach, he has worked with owners and CEOs of companies in the top 5% of Home Care and is a frequent speaker at Home Care association conferences and corporate meetings across the US and Canada.

Related Posts

Shared Vision Can Change Your Life

August 21, 2025
This past week, I was in Fort Myers, FL leading an Executive Strategy Retreat for a wonderful family-owned Home Care company. We spent a full day using the storyboarding technique from the Walt Disney organization to stimulate creativity, make ideas visible, and craft a five-year vision for the company. We then dug into detail as we defined…

Corporate Culture in Home Care

August 7, 2025
I've been thinking a lot about Corporate Culture in Home Care For the past few weeks, I've been deeply immersed in the final preparation for the start of school. As you may have heard, I recently accepted a position as Adjunct Instructor of Corporate Culture in the Master of Arts in Communication and Business Leadership at High Point…

Appreciation and Recognition

July 31, 2025
This past Tuesday evening I was in Scottsdale, AZ for the annual CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame Awards, and the Cavett Award, presented by the National Speakers Association. This is the final formal banquet that brings to a grand finale the annual convention of NSA. The National Speakers Association is a society of experts who speak professionally. These are some of…