Medicare fraud is big business for criminals. Medicare loses approximately $60 billion annually due to fraud, errors and abuse.
When thieves steal from Medicare, there is less money for the healthcare we really need. We pay for things we may never get. We can get hurt when we receive tests, medicine or care we don’t need. Doctors, pharmacies and medical suppliers make mistakes; sometimes they straight-up steal from Medicare. Medicare is trying to crack down.
Did You Know?
• Hawai‘i leads the U.S. in average life expectancy at 83.1 years and kūpuna are vulnerable to scams.
• Healthcare fraud, which includes illegal billing, is rampant and criminals are increasingly sophisticated.
• Fraudsters want our personal identity, which threatens our safety, dignity and legacy.
How Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Helps You
Trained SMP volunteers assist beneficiaries in the first line of defense by:
• Providing information needed to PROTECT from Medicare fraud, errors and abuse; DETECT potential fraud, errors and abuse; and they also REPORT concerns.
• Assisting with questions, concerns or complaints and helping you understand your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB).
• Offering free group educational presentations, and one-on-one, confidential counseling.
• Referring non-healthcare scam concerns (romance, tech support, imposter/online, gift cards, etc.) to the appropriate agency.
Contact SMP Hawaii and learn how you can help our community protect itself from healthcare fraud, errors and abuse. We need volunteers who are caring, want to learn, can speak another language to reach as many people as possible, and understand that it takes our entire state to protect kūpuna.
SENIOR MEDICARE PATROL (SMP) HAWAII
Department of Health — Executive Office on Aging
250 S. Hotel St., Ste. 406, Honolulu, HI 96813
808-586-7281 | Toll Free: 1-800-296-9422
info@smphawaii.org | smphawaii.org
Facebook: smphawaii808
This project was supported in part by grant number 90MPPG0053 from the US Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy. The Hawai‘i Department of Health – Executive Office on Aging has administered SMP Hawaii since 1997.
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