Why does BCBS keep calling me?
Those phone calls are not part of a Blue Cross or BCN program. They appear to be malicious or fraudulent attempts to gain personal information or health insurance ID numbers to bill for high-cost medication and supplies.Jan 20, 2021
Do Medicare people call you?
Medicare will never call you! Medicare may need information from you or may need to reach you; but, they'll NEVER call. You'll get a letter that will notify you of the necessary information that Medicare needs. Long story short, if the calls you're receiving claim to be from Medicare, it's a spam call.
Why would my health insurance call me?
The individuals making these calls are phishing for personal information. This type of scam is also known as spoofing. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FTC), spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity.
Why do I get so many calls from Medicare rewards?
The whole purpose of all of these calls is to obtain your personal information, whether that is your Medicare card number, your Social Security number, or banking information. Some of these scammers even have the technological ability to make the call appear on caller ID as if it is coming from an official place.
How does Medicare contact?
A Medicare health or drug plan may call you if you're already a member of the plan. The agent who helped you join can also call you. A customer service representative from 1-800-MEDICARE can call you if you've called and left a message or a representative said that someone would call you back.
Are Medicare calls legit?
Remember, if you get a phone call about your Medicare card and you're even slightly suspicious, hang up and call Medicare at the number on your card. The number is 1-800-Medicare or 1-800-633-4227. Remember, if you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam and protect your personal information.Nov 10, 2021
Why am I getting so many spam calls all of a sudden 2020?
Why do I keep getting spam calls? Experts credit the ascendance of spam phone calls to fundamental problems with caller ID, a phone system where anyone can operate as a carrier, the inability to detect bad callers, and a number of bad actors exploiting those flaws to drive billions of calls to American phones.Mar 3, 2021
How do I stop health insurance spam calls?
You can register for it here: www.donotcall.gov. Alternatively, you can call toll-free, 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236), from the number you wish to register. Registration is free. Thirty days after you register, telemarketers covered by the National Do Not Call Registry must stop calling you.
What is a courtesy call from insurance?
Many medical offices will call your insurance company prior to your appointment to confirm eligibility and coverage for treatment. The medical office strictly considers this to be a “courtesy call”. They simply wish to be as certain as they can that the patient has coverage for the visit.
Why is Medicare Assist calling me?
Medicare will never call or come to your home uninvited to sell products or services. SSA representatives may call Medicare beneficiaries if they need more information to process applications for Social Security benefits or enrollment in certain Medicare Plans, but, again, this is rare.May 24, 2021
Phishing scam
If you’re targeted for a phishing scam, you might receive a phone call from someone claiming to be your health insurer. As you speak with the caller, their questions will become increasingly invasive.
Product scam
With the product fraud scam, callers are trying to get your Blue Cross Blue Shield contract number in an effort to get reimbursed from your insurance for a product that may not be effective. They will even have a doctor sign off on prescriptions for you, even though he’s never met you.
Why it matters
Healthcare is low-hanging fruit for many scammers.
What is a BCBS?
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is a company with a long history in the health insurance industry. It’s actually a federation of 36 different locally operated, independent, private insurance companies.
How many people are covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield?
These companies are licensed to operate in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia; over 105 million people in the U.S. are enrolled in Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, or approximately one in three Americans, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield. In terms of coverage, over 96% of hospitals and 92% of health-care providers contract with ...
What is Medicare Advantage HMO?
Medicare Advantage HMO-POS (Point of Service) plans. These are similar to standard HMO plans, but if you frequently travel out-of-network, you may be able to arrange for covered routine health care at your destination with a provider in the national Blue Cross Blue Shield network. Many HMO-POS plans include prescription drug coverage.
What is Medicare Advantage Health Maintenance Organization?
Most HMO plans include prescription drug coverage and require you to select a primary care provider to oversee your care. You must get your care within your plan’s local network in order to access benefits, except for medically necessary emergency care.
What is an HMO POS plan?
Many HMO-POS plans include prescription drug coverage. Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs). These are HMO-type plans with enrollment restricted to people with certain chronic diseases or conditions, living in a nursing home or other facility, or eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid in their state.
Does Medicare Part D cover prescription drugs?
As with other Medicare Advantage plans, many PPO plans cover prescription drugs.*. Stand-alone Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. These plans use a formulary to determine which prescription drugs are covered; plans may change their formularies from time to time, but will notify you when necessary.
What is the phone number for Blue Cross Blue Shield?
This number is only used to receive calls from members, not to make calls, and if you receive a call that appears to be from 888.630.2583, the call is fraudulent or malicious and you should not answer it, or hang up immediately after receiving it if you do answer the call initially.
What does Blue Cross Blue Shield do?
The Blue Cross Blue Shield companies partner with state and federal agencies, as well as advocacy organizations, to report, investigate and reduce the incidence of healthcare fraud.
What are some examples of healthcare fraud?
Healthcare fraud is a federal crime under most criminal codes, consisting of intentional deceit for the purpose of illicit gains. Healthcare abuse is similar activity or behavior where knowing intent to obtain an unlawful gain cannot be established. Some examples of healthcare fraud and abuse include: 1 Phantom claims for services or supplies that were never provided 2 Using someone else’s medical insurance information to obtain services or supplies 3 Falsifying signatures or medical records to support misrepresented services or supplies 4 Unbundling services from a group to unlawfully increase medical payment 5 Misrepresenting the location where services or supplies are provided 6 Rendering medical care without a license 7 Duplicate claim submissions
Is healthcare fraud a crime?
Healthcare fraud is a federal crime under most criminal codes, consisting of intentional deceit for the purpose of illicit gains. Healthcare abuse is similar activity or behavior where knowing intent to obtain an unlawful gain cannot be established. Some examples of healthcare fraud and abuse include:
Does Blue Cross Blue Shield work with the government?
The Blue Cross Blue Shield companies work closely with state and federal agencies, as well as advocacy organizations, to report, investigate and reduce the incidence of healthcare fraud. You are encouraged to visit and report fraud incidents with any of these organizations.
A method to the supposed madness
Dr. Michael McWilliams suggested an answer. As an associate professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School, he understands the arcane regulations that cover how Medicare reimburses my Medicare Advantage plan for the care I get. He told me that each of us covered by these plans is assigned a risk score.
Comments
Exactly right!! It is very disconcerting that we pay for Physician care and expertise, but in the end, the insurance company decides what is best for us.
What is the phone number for the SSI?
Many of the calls are made from either (289) 800-0303 or (547) 818-4222, but are not limited to only these phone numbers. You might get more than one call a day. Members should be careful when they get an unexpected call asking for personal information.
Is the anthem phishing?
Anthem recently heard from a few members with concerns regarding suspicious phone calls, also called voice phishing, claiming to be from Blue Cross Blue Shield. In some instances we understand that the callers were able to provide the members’ last names and their Primary Care Physicians (PCP) in exchange for members giving their full names, addresses, dates of birth, and member IDs. These calls are not authorized by, or specific to, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and you should not provide any personal information to the callers.
Why combine Medicare Part A and B?
Another reason to combine your coverage is to get access to benefits not covered by Medicare.
When can I sign up for Medicare if I don't have a Medicare card?
This is January 1 to March 31 every year. You may be able to sign up for coverage outside of this period if a special circumstance (such as the exception noted above for the late enrollment penalty) applies.
What is Medicare for people over 65?
GET TO KNOW MEDICARE. Medicare is a health insurance program provided by the federal government, available to people: • 65 and older • Under 65 with certain disabilities • With permanent kidney failure who need dialysis treatment or a transplant (End-Stage Renal Disease) .
How much can I earn with Blue Health?
Open to Standard and Basic Option members, you can earn up to $170 in 2020 by completing your Blue Health Assessment and up to three Online Health Coach goals. You can use the money for qualified medical expenses, which include prescription drug costs, hearing aids, glasses and more.
What is Blue365 for Blue Cross?
Blue365 is a discount program exclusively for Blue Cross and Blue Shield members. Through the program, you can get discounts on different products and services that can help you live a healthy lifestyle, such as diet and exercise plans, gym shoes and athletic apparel, hearing aids and more.
How long do you have to enroll in Part B?
Once you retire, you’ll have eight months to enroll in Part B before the penalty kicks in. . General Enrollment Period .
Does FEP Blue Focus have a hearing aid discount?
Both Standard and Basic Option have a great hearing aid benefit and provide you access to our Blue365 Discount Program. FEP Blue Focus only provides you access to the Blue365 Discounts. If hearing aids are important to you, keep this in mind.