As the open enrollment period for Medicare opens, enrollees are urged to proceed with caution.
The period, which started on October 15th, will run through December 7th for select coverage in 2024.
Anyone seeking healthcare is urged to use caution when being approached for personal information, such as account numbers for Medicare itself, banks, social security, and other sensitive materials.
Medicare does not seek out potential members or returning members with unsolicited calls, emails, or texts.
Additionally, no Medicare representatives will call to sell coverage unless asked to do so, nor will anyone visit homes without prior authorization.
Personal information should only be given to licensed healthcare professionals, insurance companies representing patients, or anyone working in the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program.
A common type of scam sees patients tricked into purchasing gift cards as a form of payment for a service, which should not be carried out by anyone who is contacted for that reason, and should be reported to authorities.
Residents targeted by suspected scams should contact the Ohio Department of Insurance Fraud and Enforcement Division at (800) 686-1527.
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