Health Care Fraud Prevention
The ADRC’s Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) helps beneficiaries avoid, detect and prevent health care fraud. In doing so, they protect themselves and help preserve the integrity of the Medicare program.
These activities support the goals of the Federal Administration on Aging (AoA) to promote increased choice and greater independence among older adults. The activities of the SMP program also serve to enhance the financial, emotional, physical and mental well-being of older adults – thereby increasing their capacity to maintain security and independence and to make better financial and health care choices.
Medical Discount Plans
According to the FTC, what sounds like affordable health insurance may be a medical discount plan instead. Medical discount plans can be a way for some people to save money on their health care costs, but discount plans aren’t health insurance. Some medical discount plans provide legitimate discounts; others take peoples’ money and offer very little in return. Many plans don’t include local providers or give you outdated lists of names and facilities. Some offers are just plain scams.
To help you determine the legitimacy of an offer, visit the FTC website’s online fact sheet:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/medicaldiscountscams/index.shtm
The website for SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) programs which help Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries avoid, detect, and prevent health care fraud.
http://www.smpresource.org