Medicare Fraud Scams Target Beneficiaries, Taxpayers, Oklahoma Insurance Department Says

The Oklahoma Insurance Department has a warning about a growing number of Medicare fraud cases across the state.

The department said scammers have stolen more than $20,000 dollars just since June.

The fraud is not just scamming beneficiaries, but taxpayers as well, the department said.

Since The COVID-19 pandemic ended, COVID-19 test kits are no longer free of charge.

Scammers have taken this opportunity to exploit Medicare beneficiaries, according to the department.

“There are over 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Oklahoma. And if only one quarter of a percent of those people received tests that they did not order or that they shouldn't have received and Medicare got billed for those, that's a lot of money,” Medicare Assistance Program Division Director Ray Walker said.

Walker said scammers are sending unrequested at-home COVID-19 test kits to beneficiaries, and then billing Medicare for tests that were never ordered.

That's what happened to Sandra Ferguson from Inola. Ferguson said she received at least four packages of COVID tests that she never ordered.

She said when she reached out to Medicare, she was told nothing could be done until they figure out who was having them sent to her.

Walker said this scam ranges from individual kits to bulk shipments.

“Other people that we've started receiving calls from aren't even receiving the test kits, and yet they're showing up on their Medicare summary notices as being charged to Medicare,” Walker said.

Since June, the MAP received more than 55 calls reporting the fraudulent activity.

Each test kit costs about $94 and the total cost to Medicare is projected to exceed $18,000, which is paid by taxpayers.

Walker said beneficiaries are also being billed for self-catheter kits when they don't even have a medical condition that requires them – each one of those is billed for around $3,000.

Walker recommends you review Medicare Summary Notices and report any unauthorized charges to the Oklahoma Insurance Department.