Something happened recently that put me in the boat with millions of older Americans.
After going through rounds of training designed to save me from phishing, spoofing, social scams and schemes, I was the victim of a possible scam.
Here’s what happened:
I received an “Explanation of Blue Cross Blue Shield Benefits,” a document I usually shred.
But for some reason, I opened the envelope and glanced at the contents.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois paid $2,232 and Medicare paid $8,749.44 for medical/surgical supplies I did not order or need.
The items listed on the bill were monthly, beginning in June 2023 and ending in November that year.
I immediately called BCBS of Illinois and learned from a customer service representative that the bill was for catheters provided by G&I Ortho Supply, Inc., a company located in Brooklyn, New York.
The BCBS of Illinois customer service representative assured me the problem would be investigated and advised me to contact Medicare to report the discrepancy. When I contacted Medicare about the charges, the representative also assured me the matter would be investigated.
Frankly, as polite as the representatives were, they didn’t seem to see the problem as urgent.
Apparently this problem is not new.
In my desperate attempts to reach G&I Ortho Supply about the bill, I came across a news report from a CBS station in New York about a suspected fraud ring billing Medicare for catheters.
The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations found G&I Ortho Supply is one of seven companies “connected to a strong pattern of potential fraud,” according to CBS2 News last month.
Last year, G&I Ortho Supply requested $336 million from Medicare for catheters, the New York station reported.
The company recently was purchased by an owner that the FBI is now investigating, the station reported.
G&I Ortho Supply is among a handful of companies that recently changed ownership and now account for a $1.9 billion spike in catheters cost, the station added.
G&I Ortho Supply did not return a phone call.
I can not find any evidence that G&I Ortho Supply has been charged with anything, but if this a scam, it could turn up on “American Greed,” the television program about the country’s worst fraudsters.
It is difficult for me to understand how someone could get away with billing Medicare for millions for catheters people don’t need. It makes it look like it is pretty easy to steal from government programs.
Laura Colquhoun, a Medicare recipient, told the CBS news station that all the charges outlined in her billing were fraudulent.
“Last year, I didn’t order any medical supplies,” she said.
Like me, Colquhoun said she is cautious and ignores calls, texts and emails.
I haven’t heard from BCBS Illinois or Medicare about how this could have happened or how I can protect myself in the future.
Frankly, I feel like I was robbed twice — first as a taxpayer and also as a Medicare recipient who pays a heck of a lot of money for health care.
The Federal Trade Commission says Medicare loses about $60 billion to fraud, errors and abuse each year, according to the news report.
If you are one of those people who don’t like to open bills, make medical bills a priority.
Open them, read them and report any discrepancies to Medicare and other health partners.
