One Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, NY, March 1, 2019: On Wednesday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Brooklyn-Wide Interagency Council on Aging (BWICA) Director María Alvarez launched a borough-wide Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program to combat more than $600 million lost annually in Medicare and Medicaid fraud in Brooklyn — the county where taxpayers lose the most in all of New York State, according to estimates based on Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data. The announcement was made at the Shorefront YM-YWHA in Brighton Beach, an area of the borough that is particularly hard-hit by incidents of Medicare and Medicaid fraud, which have ranged from the use of stolen Medicare numbers and lying about to providers billing eligibility for services never provided/received to dispensing generic drugs billed at name-brand prices. The SMP program will be administered through a five-year federal grant partnership between the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President and BWICA alongside the New York State-Wide Senior Action Council. Borough President Adams noted the importance of protecting Brooklyn’s seniors from fraud, particularly in communities where English is not the first spoken language.
“It’s so important that we combat Medicare and Medicaid fraud so that our seniors are not unnecessarily scammed and forced to deal with financial problems that can be easily avoided in their golden years,” said Borough President Adams. “The SMP is a critically important initiative to empower vulnerable Brooklynites, including those who speak a language other than English at home, with the information to identify and report fraudulent activity that can cost them dearly.”
The SMP initiative, which was launched just weeks after the December indictment of the CEO of Midwood-based Hopeton Care who was charged by the Office of the New York State Attorney General for embezzling an estimated $11 million in Medicaid funds, will educate older Brooklynites on how to detect and protect themselves from potential Medicare or Medicaid abuse, errors, or fraud through presentations and informational materials translated into multiple languages, including Chinese, Haitian Creole, Russian, and Spanish. The community engagement campaign will include outreach to civic organizations, health care facilities, houses of worship, senior centers, and other local groups.
Seniors are urged to protect themselves from Medicare and Medicaid fraud by being informed of the following information/taking the following precautions:
- Do not share or confirm a Medicare or Social Security number with anyone who contacts you by telephone, email, or in person, unless you have given permission in advance.
- Medicare will never contact you (unless you ask) to ask for your Medicare number or other personal information, or to send you a new card; Medicare already has your information.
- Do not ever let anyone borrow or pay to use your Medicare number.
- There is no charge for your new card, so do not pay anyone to send it to you.
- Review your Medicare Summary Notice to be sure you and Medicare are only being charged for actual items and services received.
- Your new Medicare card is sent automatically by mail to the address on file with the Social Security Administration.
- If you have not received your new Medicare card, call the New York State SMP at (800) 333-4374.
- Under the False Claims Act, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is authorized to pay rewards to those who report fraud against the federal government and are not convicted of a crime related to the fraud; the reward can be between 15 and 25 percent (but up to 30 percent in some cases) of what it recovers based upon the whistleblower’s report.
Borough President Adams and BWICA Executive Director Alvarez are partnering with a multiagency coalition of organizations on this initiative including the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), FBI, New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA), New York State-Wide Senior Action Council, and US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’ Office of Inspector General (OIG).
“In addition to not sharing personal information with anyone over the telephone, at health fairs, or with other people, it is also important for beneficiaries to check their Medicare statements to ensure that the services that Medicare is being charged for on their behalf are accurate,” said BWICA Executive Director Alvarez. “Anyone who feels that they may have been a victim of fraud, or wishes to get more information, or help us spread the word in their community, should call the SMP at (800) 333-4374, a toll-free, multi-language helpline.”
“We are committed to protecting individuals that are served by Medicare and Medicaid, and the taxpayer dollars that fund those programs,” said Scott J. Lampert, special agent of the HHS OIG New York Region. “We must all partner together in the fight against health care fraud, and public vigilance is a vital part of that partnership. If you suspect that you are the victim of Medicare/Medicaid fraud and/or related identity theft, or you wish to report someone you suspect is committing health care fraud, please call the HHS-OIG Hotline at (800) HHS-TIPS or the OIG New York Regional Office at (212) 264-3100.”
“Safeguarding the personal information of Medicare beneficiaries is one of CMS’ top priorities,” said Ray Hurd, regional administrator of CMS in regions 1 and 2. “We greatly value the work of the SMP in protecting beneficiaries by educating and assisting them with detecting and reporting potential fraud and abuse. It is critical that beneficiaries check their Medicare statements and protect their Medicare number as well as other personal information.”
“ACL, which advocates across federal government for older adults, is proud to take part in the boroughwide patrol in Brooklyn,” said Kathleen Otte, bi-regional administrator of ACL. “The kickoff in Brighton Beach highlights the efforts of the SMP to recognize and report instances of health care fraud. In 2017, SMP projects nationwide reached an estimated 1.9 million people, teaching them to recognize and report fraud. We’re proud that older adults are eager to play an active role in combating Medicare and Medicaid fraud in Brooklyn and throughout the United States.”
BWICA, which has served for more than 40 years as the umbrella organization for Brooklyn’s 17 interagency councils for the aging, has been funded and supported by Borough President Adams and his predecessors at Brooklyn Borough Hall. To learn more about helping to improve the lives of Brooklyn’s seniors, all Brooklynites are welcome to join BWICA’s monthly meetings held on the fourth Wednesday of every month at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Anyone interested in volunteering or hosting a community meeting to raise awareness for this important initiative can contact the SMP at (800) 333-4374.
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