Ohioans warned to beware of Medicare equipment fraud

By Farah Siddiqi

Scams involving false claims for medical equipment are spreading across Ohio, according to experts in Medicare fraud.

Sometimes scammers offer free equipment in exchange for your Medicare number, even if you do not need it. They bill Medicare and potentially get paid.

Carolina Oehler, volunteer coordinator for the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, who works with seniors on Medicare counseling and fraud prevention, said it not only drains money from the Medicare program but people can be denied the equipment in the future.

"When they actually need the device, and the doctor orders it, the supplier is going to try to bill Medicare," Oehler pointed out. "Medicare is going to deny the claim, because there's already a claim for the same thing that was billed."

Sometimes the scammer will call or send a postcard or flyer offering incentives such as free cleaning, cooking, protein milkshakes, medical equipment, transportation, anything to get people to give up their Medicare number. Some even set up storefronts and pay doctors kickbacks to fabricate orders for medical equipment. The FBI reported in 2023, older Ohioans lost more than $64 million to fraud and scams.

Oehler noted some people have received multiple boxes of braces they never requested, out of the blue.

"You should send the box back, contact your doctor to ask them if they prescribed the item and then contact Medicare to make sure that claims were not submitted for items that were not ordered by your doctor," Oehler advised.

Medicare can then flag the claim for fraud and remove it from your record. In Ohio, help is available via the Senior Medicare Patrol and through the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program. You can also call 1-800-Medicare.