CMS Launches Consumer Fraud Prevention Campaign

BALTIMORE — HHS and CMS kicked off a Medicare fraud
prevention campaign June 10 that will include radio, television,
print advertising and outreach efforts to seniors.

The campaign will begin with a $1 million national radio buy to
run June through August as one-time $250 rebate checks (under the
Affordable Care Act) get mailed out each month to eligible
beneficiaries who have entered the Medicare Part D doughnut hole.
CMS will buy airtime in markets with high percentages of
beneficiaries who fall into the doughnut hole and on ethnic radio
to reach senior groups who have been particularly targeted by scam
artists.

“Seniors should be on the lookout for scams where people they
don’t know ask them for their personal information in order to get
their checks,” CMS Acting Administrator Marilynn Tavenner said in a
press release.

The initial radio campaign includes 30- and 60-second radio
spots in English, Spanish, Korean and Armenian. English-language
spots were scheduled to begin in a small number of markets today,
with the national buy in place by the end of the month.

In conjunction with the campaign, HHS and the Department of
Justice have planned a series of regional fraud prevention summits
across the country beginning July 16 in Miami. HHS Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder have also asked
all state attorneys general to create outreach programs to educate
seniors on Medicare fraud and to coordinate regular health care
fraud task force meetings in an effort to cut the improper payment
rate in half by 2012.

“The more we can work together to educate the American people
about ways to protect themselves and the health care system from
fraud and scams, the better chance we have to protect taxpayer
dollars and the Medicare trust funds,” said Sebelius. “In addition
to this outreach and education media campaign, we are working with
organizations across the country to ensure seniors know where to
turn to get information about the new law and their Medicare
benefits.”

CMS has posted an audio file of the English 60-second spot on
the medicare.gov website.