Advocacy group reports 240% increase in calls about Medicare fraud and catheter scams

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Between 6% and 10% of all money spent by Medicare every year is either fraudulent or an error, adding up to between $60 billion and $100 billion annually.

Cathy Rafales with the nonprofit advocacy group Pro Seniors said urinary catheters are the biggest scam they are seeing right now in terms of Medicare fraud.

Pro Seniors has seen a 240% increase in calls about catheters since last year.

Roughly three in 10 Ohioans Rafales interacts with are reporting this.

People with Medicare are getting unwanted packages with medical supplies or noticing items on their Medicare summary that they didn’t order and never received.

“Nothing gets delivered, a lot of times you never hear from the scammers at all. So, the only way you know that you’re affected is if you’re checking your Medicare summary notice if you have original Medicare or explanation of benefits if you have an advantage plan,” Rafales said.

Scammers bill for things that need to be replaced, like wound care supplies, monthly catheter supplies and back braces.

“The scammers love these and they bill for multiple months at a time and by the time you notice you may have $17 on your Medicare summary notice,” Rafales said.

The American public is losing money because money are being stolen from the Medicare trust fund.

The person whose number has been compromised is the other victim. This could be both financially and physically harmful.

“If somebody is charging your Medicare notice for something you don’t need and didn’t receive, and later on you need it, like a wheelchair, then you’re going to have to pay for it because Medicare won’t cover it a second time,” Rafales said.

Craig Thomas with Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging said scammers are getting Medicare numbers through scam calls.

“I know people get frustrated to get these letters so frequently but it really is important for you to review that to make sure that your Medicare is being billed for the services that you did receive and the charges line up with your history and knowledge of your medical care,” Thomas said.

One victim said a caller claimed to have worked for Medicare for 29 years and said they needed to update records.

The victim gave up her Medicare number.

People should protect their Medicare number like a credit card number or Social Security number and keep a close eye on their explanation of benefits.

If a Medicare number has been compromised, people can and should get a new number through Pro Seniors.

Pro Seniors can be reached through their website at proseniors.org or by calling their Senior Medicare Patrol at (800) 293-4767.