Health Care Fraud

Protect Yourself from Health Care Fraud

Health care fraud is more common than you think. Take these 12 steps to protect yourself from health care fraud:

1.  Your personal doctor, hospital or clinic are the only professionals who should make referrals for you.
2. Never show anyone your medical or prescription records without first talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
3. If someone tries to threaten or pressure you into taking action, simply hang up the phone or delete their email.
4. If a visitor comes to your home claiming to represent Medicare or another organization, shut the door.
5. Do your homework and talk to your health care provider before buying or investing in a miracle cure product or service.
6. Do not keep mail in your mailbox for more than one day. People can steal personal information.
7. Shred your health care paperwork and other important documents before throwing them away.
8. Treat your Medicare and Social Security numbers like credit cards. If someone offers to buy them, please decline.
9. Remember that Medicare does not sell any products.
10. Follow your instincts. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
11. If you suspect an error, fraud or abuse related to health care, gather the facts and report it.
12. Always read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or health care billing statement. Your Medicare Summary Notice is the piece of mail stamped, "This is not a Bill," that comes in after you seek medical care. Look for three things on your billing statement:
    • Charges for something that you didn't get
    • Billing for the same thing twice
    • Services that were not ordered by the doctor

For more information about health care fraud, or to report an incident, visit the Stop Medicare Fraud website.