Medicare, government agencies don't call out of the blue

It's open enrollment season for Medicare coverage, and for identity thieves and other bad actors, it's like open hunting season.

With confusion about which plans are best and marketing that can be skewed, hucksters try to lure people into making choices that cost them money — or even their identity and personal information.

"Open enrollment is like opening Pandora's box every year," says Kris Winterowd, a program manager with the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department. "I think seniors always have a big old bullseye painted right on their forehead anyway, and then during open enrollment, it just goes up to 11."

The window for choosing new coverage started on Saturday, Oct. 15, and runs through Dec. 7.

If you receive any suspicious calls, texts or emails, call the state's Aging & Disability Resource Center at 1-800-432-2080. That goes for marketers trying to get you to switch plans or identity thieves who tell you your coverage will soon expire unless you hand over personal information.

Winterowd cited one case in which an elderly woman inadvertently changed her original Medicare plan to a Medicare Advantage plan because the caller told her she could get dental coverage if she did so. The problem was that the new plan did not entirely cover the oxygen equipment she needed, but she didn't find that out until the equipment company started charging her.

"She did not intend to change (plans)," Winterowd says. "Her health was jeopardized. We've experienced some pretty egregious marketing violations here in New Mexico."

The state agency was able to restore the woman's old coverage, but it took her a total of eight months before the fix was made.

"People get really distracted by the shiny, new things," Winterowd says. "If it seems too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true."

Most of the calls the agency received last year were from people who were persuaded that they would miss out on something if they didn't switch plans — not because they were unhappy with their current coverage, Winterowd says.

Know that insurance plans are not allowed to "call you out of the blue," although your current plan can call to ask if you're satisfied with your coverage, she says.

Nor does Medicare call and ask for personal information. As with other government agencies, it usually will send a written statement in the mail before calling.

"Anytime anybody asks you for any personal information — if they ask for your last name, even — it's time to stop talking to them," Winterowd says.

Here are some other things to keep in mind:

Scammers might say they need information so they can send a new ID card or to prevent your coverage from being canceled. The truth is Medicare is not sending out new cards and won't cancel your coverage via phone call. "Anyone suggesting otherwise is lying to you," AARP says.

Do not join a Medicare health or drug plan over the phone unless you're the one who initiated the call to Medicare. You can find plans and benefits at medicare.gov.

If a caller claims to represent a health insurer or government agency, hang up. You can call back using a phone number on an account statement, in the phone book or on an official website to verify the caller's authenticity.

"Be vigilant," AARP advises. "Scammers can be very convincing, and they may know a little — or a lot — about you, especially if they have access to some of your personal information already."

Contact Ellen Marks at [email protected] if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-844-255-9210, prompt 5. Complaints can be filed electronically at nmag.gov/contact-us/file-a-complaint/