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Tis the season for Medicare scams

Kerrville Daily Times (TX) - 10/1/2014

Oct. 01--Medicare's seven-week open enrollment period is right around the corner, a time when many area seniors will be making changes to their health care coverage.

The open enrollment period, Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, is the one time during the year when people ages 65 and older can add, drop or switch their Medicare Part D prescription drug plans or amend their Medicare Advantage plans. The enrollment period can be a confusing time, as plans change each year, premiums fluctuate and co-payments potentially increase.

To help Kerrville seniors make sure they are signed up for the plan best for them, Suzanne Ruff, elder rights specialist for the Alamo Area Agency on Aging, will be available by appointment at the Dietert Center throughout the enrollment period. Ruff will counsel interested seniors one-on-one and explain the prescription drug plans that are available and how they work. Ruff also will help enroll those seniors at that time.

"It's important to check your plans, and the pharmacy also plays a big part in it," Ruff said. "Sometimes there's hundreds of dollars difference between pharmacies, and some participate or some do not (in accepting the plans), so that needs to be checked also."

In addition to being knowledgeable about their plans, Margie Jetton, certified senior advisor for Advanced Insurance Group in Kerrville, said area seniors need to know that they can be susceptible to scams during this time.

Jetton said every senior knows they need to make insurance decisions soon, and "the crooks know that, too." This, coupled with the increasing popularity of handling business over the phone, creates what Jetton calls a "perfect storm."

"Seniors come from a generation that was more trusting," Jetton said. "They're not technically savvy, and their focus is just on knowing they need to do the enrollment. When someone calls to help them, they don't think and say 'Wait a minute, why isn't my insurance agent calling me?'"

Jetton said perpetrators often call and pose as Medicare representatives to get seniors to give them their personal information, including dates of birth, Social Security numbers and bank account numbers.

A call from anyone but a person's insurance agent should raise automatic red flags, Jetton said. Jetton recommends that people contacted by an unknown party should immediately call their agent and verify what any outside calls would be about. People should never assume that someone is actually calling from their insurance company, she said.

Jetton said she will be speaking at senior centers over the next few weeks to raise awareness of the issue, and said seniors need to be cautious during this time.

Ruff said seniors need to educate themselves and "know what they're getting into and who they're dealing with" when they sign up for Medicare. She said the work she does is all one-on-one, and there is no reason for someone to be making a call.

"I don't know how (scam artists) operate, but insurance companies are really not allowed to cold call," Ruff said. "If you're receiving a cold call from an insurance agent or broker who you did not call first, you need to call the Texas Department of Insurance."

Ruff said using common sense during the enrollment process is the most important thing. She said the Alamo Area on Aging provides unbiased counseling to help people understand their Part D plans. The agency does not sell plans and is not funded by any private insurance companies.

Kerrville seniors who would like Ruff to guide them through the enrollment process should call the Dietert Center at 792-4044 to set up an appointment.

Ruff will be a the Dietert Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Oct. 16 and 23 and Nov. 4 and 20.

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(c)2014 the Kerrville Daily Times (Kerrville, Texas)

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