Category: Senior Medicare Patrol

Medicare beneficiaries may receive legitimate survey requests The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) often alerts consumers about scammers who pretend to be with Medicare. This month, we want to tell you about a legitimate study being conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS is conducting an ongoing study called the Medicare…

The first-ever Medicare Fraud Prevention Week is June 5 through June 11. It kicks off on 6-5 because most people qualify for Medicare on their 65th birthday. This event also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the SMP programs nationwide. To commemorate the week, the Missouri SMP wants to share some of the most common…

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) of Missouri Fraud Fact for May focuses on the importance of keeping accurate medical records. One of the most important habits to keep your Medicare account safe from fraud is to keep track of your medical visits and procedures. Doing so also helps your visits go more smoothly. To help…

Medicare Part B covers many, many preventive benefits, but a good place to start is your primary care physician for a wellness visit. If you’ve had Medicare Part B for more than a year, you can get an annual wellness visit to update your personalized plan to help prevent disease and disability. The wellness visit…

March is Fraud Prevention month, and the Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) wants to remind you of some ways you can protect yourself against the many scams targeting older adults. First and foremost, guard your information. This includes dates of birth, Social Security, Medicare card, bank account, and credit card numbers. If you are on…

Beware of fraudulent COVID-19 testing sites or at-home testing kitsThe Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is advising older adults to be on the lookout for fraudulentCOVID-19 testing centers and fake at-home COVID-19 tests. Scammers are setting up fake COVID-19 test sites to get your personal, financial, and medicalinformation. Scammers also are selling fake and unauthorized…

Advantage Plan Open Enrollment HereOpen enrollment for Medicare is finished for recipients of regular Medicare, but if you have Medicare Advantage Plan, you still have an opportunity to make changes if you find that you need to.The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is January 1 through March 31.If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage…

If you are considering a donation to a charity, your Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) warns you to be wary. Charities use the phone, face-to-face contact, email, and the Internet. So do the scammers. Scammers can change caller ID to make a call look like it’s from a local area code. Some scammers use names…

Open enrollment for Medicare Part D begins Oct. 15. That means that people with Medicare andtheir caregivers should give their Medicare prescription plans a fresh look to determine whether the planthey have is still the best one to suit their needs. It’s also a good time for you to know the rules the Medicare Advantage…

Missourians ages 12 and older who have received the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to enter alottery drawing to win $10,000. Unfortunately, the Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) has learnedthat this incentive to be an “MO VIP WINNER” also has brought out potential scammers, and you shouldbe careful with your personal information – just as always….