Senior swindling season is upon us

To the honest, Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 is a lovely time of year bringing beautiful seasonal changes, but to the unscrupulous, it's a window of opportunity to prey on seniors and get them to add a Medicare Advantage plan they might not need or change one they already have for no other reason than to wring more commission money out of them.Even though Medicare is a federal program, the state of California 's Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) has an agreement with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to investigate instances of Medicare Advantage fraud as the state regulator of these products. To help Californians guard themselves against these and other public safety hazards, state law enforcement has launched a unique website: CSLEAFoundation.org. Unique because the information it provides comes directly from people whose daily job it is to fight fraud and crime with the most current information available. In one of four inaugural videos, DMHC Supervising Investigator Kim Scherer tells seniors how to avoid Medicare Advantage scams. A two-page hand-out can also be found on the website, also tips on how to protect against identity theft, unhygienic beauty and barbers shops-and even how to make a 911 call. More videos will be added in the coming months. Contributed by Department of Managed Health Care

********** Published: November 10, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 30