The Ohio Department of Insurance is urging Ohioans on Medicare to guard against scams seeking their personal information when selecting 2022 coverage during the October 15th to December 7th open enrollment period.
Ohioans should be on the alert for fake Medicare communications seeking personal information or money in exchange for any of the following:
To help with enrollment
To schedule health care services
To sign up for Part D prescription drug plan or Medicare health plan coverage
To provide a new Medicare card
How to Protect Yourself:
Never give personal information including Medicare, Social Security, bank account and credit card numbers to anyone who contacts you unsolicited by telephone, email, text or in person such as door-to-door sales
Medicare will never call you to sell anything, visit your home or enroll you over the phone unless you call first
Medicare or Medicare health plans will only call and request personal information if you’re a plan member or you called and left a message
Only give certain personal information to your doctors, insurance companies acting on your behalf, or trusted people in the community officially working with Medicare such as the department’s Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP).
Report fraud and predatory sales practices:
If you feel an insurance agent is using high-pressure, fraudulent, or dishonest sales practices, contact the department’s Fraud and Enforcement Division at (800) 686-1527.