Consumer Alert
Have a disability? What to know about Medicaid and scams
Every July, Disability Pride Month is a powerful reminder about the importance of disability rights. This July, it’s also a time to talk about Medicaid renewal scams that could affect millions of people with disabilities.
To make sure people had insurance during the pandemic, states had to keep people enrolled in Medicaid — but that requirement has been phased out.
So where do scams come in? Well, people eligible for Medicaid now have to re-enroll. If they’re not eligible for Medicaid, they need to find new insurance. And that means scammers will start targeting those people — including people with disabilities.
To avoid the scams, here’s what to know:
- Medicaid won’t charge you to renew or enroll. Your state Medicaid agency may call, text, or email you to renew. But it won’t ask for money or information like your credit card or bank account number. Learn about eligibility at Medicaid.gov/renewals.
- Start at HealthCare.gov if you need new insurance. HealthCare.gov compares insurance plans, coverage, prices, and your eligibility. It only asks for your monthly income and age to give you a price quote. Don’t share your bank account or credit card number to get a quote for health insurance. That’s a scam.
- Scammers try to sell medical discount plans that are not medical insurance. Medical discount plans charge a monthly fee for supposed discounts on some medical services or products from a list of providers. They’re not a substitute for health insurance. Some plans just take your money for little or nothing in return. If anyone pressures you to sign up quickly for a medical discount plan, that’s a red flag.
During Disability Pride Month, share this information with your friends, family, colleagues, and social networks. And if you spot a scam, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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Nice work
All I know is I am ~76 and cannot lift my legs enough to get into the bathtub. Paid SS and everything else the gov takes out of my paycheck for some 50 work years. All this money is sucked out of me to fight communism which is never a treat. If you want to market so called Democracy, you simply take care of your own taxpaying citizens!
In reply to All I know is I am ~76 and… by Garush
Amen to that Garush.
I feel ya, because I am right there beside you with the pain/disabilities.
I appreciate getting information like this email informing people like me about watching out for medical insurance scams.
Thank u.
That's sentence is par for the most oxymoron idea "Disability" they are trying to take advantage of them.. isn't that agent's disability act..abouse..it's your job to stop them not the Disabled person,or victim...Tip of the day..A disable person deserve more then this county gives....Salutation
I went to a homeless seminar which I was told would help me find housing after being illegally evicted from a rental unit I was renting for a number of years
There at the seminar various people represented different companies which each stated they would assist me in finding permanent housing locally
They all had printed business cards with their company name phone number and only their first names
No license number or certifications
I spoke to a few people
But two impressed me thst they would begin to try to find me permanent housing right then
After setting up an appointment to meet they told me to make certain I could afford housing here in my location which housing was scarce and pricy and basically non existent to find
I know real estate
And understand there are times when nothing is available
So I continued living in my car believing it was temporary
After obtaining a ride from the social worker through Lyft they had me dropped off at my bank
And told me to contact them by when done
But first I was to sign a form which stated they would be my secondary insurance provider
I signed believing it was just formality to allow them to help me
But once I signed I learned it meant they would be filing for compensation which billed Medicare and medical monthly
The amount of money they claimed was over $1100 and up to $2400 per month
Depending
It was unclear
In addition
I had suffered from Covid in 2019 which turns into Long Covid in 2020 which eventually debilitated me physically and cognitively
My short term memory was also impaired and I would forget ‘em where I was or where my car was parked
I looked vulnerable to those predators targeting me as they soon did
But I was wise enough to remain paranoid and guarded and I never turned my back on people
They tried to scam me further but realized I could not remember where my money was and any money or possessions I had my ex wife stole as she too targeted me and would get away with it
I had no legal protection because the 211 311 city services were shut down during the pandemic which followed
I have no in few how I caught covid because I worked from home and alone
Fatigue working long hours may have allowed Covid to find me breathing in the virus airborne
I was diagnosed with long covid by Amy primary physician and a number of experts after various tests
Still being treated with multiple meds to lessen the symptoms
But these going on four years later I still am infected and debilitated
And I can’t work or function well
I’m told I am disabled but social security won’t recognize my filing for disability and continues to deny me benefits because they can and see social security as a trust fund which we people needing it
will continue to be denied
No legal help is afforded me or available from the state bar because I am near broke and considered unable to afford legal help even pro bono is denied me
It all began with an unknown illness that I believed was the flu
It soon turned i I not the newbs by which I and my medical insurance was to be defrauded and no one seemed to care when I sought to report it
-D
I have been going through alot of bills and security issues with my payee service and her supervisor trying to hack my medical insurance fraud healthinsurance and I have called every single one of my insurancecompanies andalso have information about how she been trying to get my pission IM just glad we had people who are looking out for us.
Speaking of scam, I have found my VA Records and some employment identifiers change from female (adjective) to male. Some registration sites and email signature block have pro nouns as "he, him, or she, her."