New York Seniors Warned of Hospice Care Medicare Scams
Scammers are increasingly exploiting hospice benefits to defraud Medicare, targeting vulnerable seniors in New York with promises of free household services. The New York StateWide Senior Action Council identified this predatory practice as the Medicare Fraud of the Month for June, urging beneficiaries to scrutinize their medical statements.
The scheme typically begins at health fairs or within assisted living facilities, where perpetrators offer non-medical assistance like house cleaning or equipment in exchange for personal information. Once they secure a senior's details, scammers enroll the individual in hospice programs without their knowledge, billing the federal government for services that were neither requested nor performed.
Maria Alvarez, executive director of the council, emphasizes that hospice care is a specialized medical decision that should only occur between a patient and their primary physician. Medicare does not provide coverage for housekeeping or similar domestic chores, and any offer tying these services to a hospice enrollment is a red flag. Beneficiaries are encouraged to audit their Medicare Summary Notices and report any suspicious charges to the New York State Senior Medicare Patrol at 800-333-4374.
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