I just opened my Medicare Part B statement to discover six months of charges for glucose-related durable medical equipment. The funny thing is I don't have diabetes, take glucose, or reside in the state where the billing company and referring doctor live.

A quick call to the Medicare fraud number resolved the issue. The nice lady there told me that they have had a lot of problems with the billing company (read they are crooks). Another call to my supplemental insurance carrier alerted them to the bogus charges.

These jokers are counting on slipping fake charges by the unwary. Read your statements carefully.

Sounds like someone got your Medicare number. At least it is not your social security number as before.

A woman I wrote a life insurance policy on died about 19 months in. She'd had uterine cancer and a hysterectomy two years and two weeks before I met her. The lookback for first day coverage was two years. So she got approved. I saw the paperwork and it was totally legit. When the company denied her death claim, they said they had uncovered a medical record of uterine cancer treatment six months before the application. You can't have uterine cancer again when you have no more uterus. I couldn't fight that battle for her son, but I'm pretty sure it was a case of Medicare billing or coding fraud to get something covered that otherwise would not have been.

I get e-mails from my insurer asking "How was your visit with Dr. Quack?" The only problem, I never saw Dr. Q. (not our Q.), don't even know what he or she looks like. The has happened at least three times in the last six months (different Dr. name each time). Insurance fraud is rampant in the medical community. We didn't need Covid to teach us this. If their financial ethics are so poor, what does this say about their medical ethics? I, for one, have pretty much lost all respect for medical "professionals" and the medical community. The AMA should retitle itself to AGA (Arrogant Greedy Assholes).

I have always checked my billings/Medicare, etc. statements very carefully. No particular reason for doing this, just looked like it'd be a good place to cheat someone-me, the insurance company or Medicare or....

After reading this thread, I'll keep on doing it, though I've never found anything amiss on mine......yet.

Bob

I don't recall getting any medicare statements in the7 yrs I have been on it.
I have a blue cross medicare policy. All billing goes through them and I get statements from them monthly.
Nothing directly from medicare.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
I don't recall getting any medicare statements in the7 yrs I have been on it.
I have a blue cross medicare policy. All billing goes through them and I get statements from them monthly.
Nothing directly from medicare.

Is that a Medicare advantage policy you have? If so, you don’t have “standard” Medicare thus no USG statements.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Sounds like someone got your Medicare number. At least it is not your social security number as before.

Another thought. You can have another Medicare number. The gov. has actually made it easy.

Here's one for you. I'm in a critical unit, hooked up to all sorts of monitors, IV's and such. In walks this dot head, I didn't request him nor could I pronounce his name. He stands in the doorway slightly inside the door and says how are you doing. I said fine. He turned to walk away, stopped and said may be I should check your pulse. For fucks sake, I'm hooked up to monitors that continually display my vital signs. He left. Later when I got my explanation of benefits, this bastard charged them for that half assed visit. You wonder what's wrong with health care, there it is.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Did you report the overbilling to Medicare?

All my local providers require photo ID, each and every visit. I'm happy to comply. That includes my pharmacy, where I actually worked for 6 months.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Sounds like someone got your Medicare number. At least it is not your social security number as before.

Another thought. You can have another Medicare number. The gov. has actually made it easy.

I will do that if it happens again.