17 Mar When you suspect Medicare fraud

Medicare fraud is a big problem, and patients have a responsibility to check their statements and understand what’s being billed. If you see something that’s not right, you should ask questions.

One Morganville Medicare patient noticed $160 monthly charges from her oncologist on her benefits statements, but the billing dates were for days she hadn’t seen the doctor. When she asked her doctor about the charges, he told her not to worry because there were no out-of-pocket costs to her and it was a government-approved program. She asked Medicare, which said it would look into it. Unable to get answers, she suspected fraud.

Ultimately, these charges were part of a new Medicare program for chemotherapy patients. But because she never signed up for the program and was never notified about it, questioning the charges was the right course of action.

The woman’s experience was detailed in a Bamboozled column on NJ.com, which explained the mix-up and how you can protect yourself from potential Medicare fraud.