There’s been a lot of news and attention on healthcare in recent weeks. Even though all of it isn’t directed towards Medicare, scammers are likely going to take advantage of that attention during the Medicare open enrollment period.
“We haven't necessarily seen that yet, but as kind of trends go, anytime there's change or a lot of uncertainty, that's when the fraudsters really take advantage of those situations,” said the Fraud and Abuse Programs Manager for the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources Ingrid Kundinger. She works with the Senior Medicare Patrol to educate people and hopefully help them avoid scams.
WXPR has already heard from some listeners that said as soon as enrollment opened on the 15th, they were getting scam calls.
Kundinger stresses Medicare doesn’t call people to verify their information and they’re certainly not going to pressure you to make changes to your plan immediately.
“If anyone's pressuring you to make a decision right now, that's a red flag,” said Kundinger. “I would suggest hanging up or ending that conversation as quickly as possible, take your time in learning about different options, asking questions.”
Kundinger encourages people to review their plans.
There’s been a lot of changes, with some Medicare Advantage Plans no longer available in 2026 and others changing their coverage.
“We just really want people to be careful in terms of talking to people, sharing personal information with companies or individuals that they have zero relationship with, and just really trying to limit that so that there aren't enrollment problems with Medicare plans for the coming year,” said Kundinger.
DATCP recommends people learn the difference between health insurance and discount plans.
Kundinger recommends a couple different resources to help find plans:
- Visit medicare.gov
- Call the Medicare hotline at (800) 633-4227
- Contact your local ADRC office
Wisconsin Senior Medicare Patrol also has a toll-free helpline at 888-818-2611.
“If people have concerns, or if they got a mailer and they're not quite sure if it's legitimate or not, we have a toll free helpline here in Wisconsin that people can call to ask those questions,” said Kundinger. “If they don't know where their local Aging and Disability Resource Center is, we can provide assistance and help get them connected to the folks that could help them with these things.”
The helpline can also assist people that think they may have been scammed.
Medicare open enrollment ends December 7th.
Editor’s note: Senior Medicare Patrol is a financial supporter of WXPR.
