Category: Senior Medicare Patrol

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….

The Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) wants to make sure that you are taking full advantageof the preventive benefits provided to you by Medicare. Medicare covers at least two dozen preventive benefit services. They range from screenings forheart disease, cancer and diabetes, to shots for the flu and pneumonia. Early detection and prevention mayhelp you…

Telehealth: A good Opportunity for Patients and Scammers This month’s Missouri SMP Fraud Fact deals with the expansion of telehealth services, which has opened yet another door for potential fraud. Certainly, telehealth is a legitimate service provided by a growing number of physicians. Medicare covers telehealth services, including office visits, psychotherapy, consultations, and certain other…

The Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) is warning older adults to “Guard your Card” –that is, your Covid-19 Vaccine ID card. When you get your first COVID-19 vaccination, you should get a card stating the date of theshot and manufacturer of vaccination. If you did not get the card, contact the provider site where yougot…

This month’s Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) Fraud Fact deals with a national COVID-19 vaccine email scam. There is a suspicious email going around that asks people to complete a survey and to receive a free reward in exchange for a nominal fee  “to cover shipping.” This is a scam to try to steal your…

The Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) wants older adults and their caregivers to be on the lookout for potential COVID-19 vaccine fraud and scams. Here are some tips to protect yourself from potential vaccine fraud:•You likely will not need to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine during this public health emergency.•You cannot…

As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, so do the scams associated with it. Because older people are at greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, the Missouri SMP warns that they also are prime targets of potential fraud. As of the beginning of December, there was no FDA-approved vaccine for COVID-19. The first vaccine is expected…