A warning is going out to Nebraskans 65 and older who are in the midst of reviewing their Medicare plans during this open enrollment period.
Elissa Balch, spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, says scammers may try to take advantage of seniors and dupe them into giving up valuable personal information.
“They want to protect that Medicare number just like they would protect their Social Security number or protect their credit card numbers,” Balch says. “You should only be giving it to your providers that you’re getting services with.”
Just like with other telephone scams, Nebraskans need to be on guard whenever they answer the phone.
“People should not be calling you and asking for your Medicare number and certainly not allowing anyone to pay you for your Medicare number,” Balch says.
There are some key pieces of information you need to find or keep an eye for in the mailbox.
“Look for the letters that came from the insurance company that will let them know any changes that are going to occur with the plan for the following calendar year,” Balch says. “Then, look for the letters that come from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — which is the federal agency that administers the program — because that’s also going to talk about any changes with extra help they receive in 2016.”
She says all people enrolled in Medicare should have received an update on their plan that indicated if there would be any changes in premiums.
For questions, visit the website www.medicare.gov.