MEET & GREET With Jill
Jill Clifford , Managing Agent
Join Jill at one of her local upcoming events!
Jill Will Be Covering:
* "ABCD's of Medicare" * Free Educational event on the basics of Medicare and your choices for coverage
* No cost nor obligation
MEET & GREET
Attend One Of Jill's Local Workshops and Receive Updates and Announcements 100% FREE!
September 26, 2024
10 am - noon
Auburn Annual Health Fair
Auburn Senior Center Gym 808 9th St SE, Auburn, WA 98002
October 5, 2024
1 pm - 2:30 PM
Auburn Public Library
1102 Auburn Way S,
Auburn, WA 98002
October 24, 2024
11 am - 2:00 PM
Health & Wellness Fair
25035 104th Ave SEKent, WA 98030
Sponsored By:Cogir of Kent, Senior Living
Articles Quick Access
The ABCD’s of Medicare – Stop the Irritating Calls! By Jill Clifford
Under the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR), Title 42, there is a section specifically addressing unsolicited calls to Medicare beneficiaries: “42 CFR § 423.2264 - Beneficiary contact.” They describe a beneficiary as a Medicare recipient or their caregiver(s). Contact is any outreach activities to these people by sponsors (companies) marketing Medicare plans, and their brokers and agents. Unsolicited contact is only allowed by conventional mail and other print media (for example, advertisements and direct mail) or email (provided every email contains an opt-out option).
The law specifically prohibits the “use telephone solicitation (that is, cold calling), robocalls, text messages, or voicemail messages, including, but not limited to, the following:
(A) Calls based on referrals.
(B) Calls to former enrollees who have disenrolled or those in the process of disenrolling.
(C) Calls to beneficiaries who attended a sales event, unless the beneficiary gave express permission to be contacted.
(D) Calls to prospective enrollees to confirm receipt of mailed information.
So how do we stop the people who are violating these rules?
First, protect yourself by not engaging with unsolicited callers who want to talk with you about Medicare. DO NOT provide unsolicited callers with your name, your Medicare identification number or your Social Security number. Scammers could use this information to make changes to your plan without your knowledge.
Second, if you do get an unsolicited call about Medicare, ask the caller for their name, license number, and phone number. Tell the caller, you will call them right back if they will give you their number, then hang up. If that is refused, simply hang up.
Call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-2273) or Washington State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) at 1-800-562-6900 to report that you received an unsolicited call, giving them whatever information you have on the caller.
Agents who make unsolicited calls to Medicare beneficiaries can be fined per call, can be forced to do retraining, can lose their insurance company contracts, or lose their state insurance license.
If we do not take action against these rogue agents and brokers, we will continue to get unsolicited calls. So help yourself and everyone else who is receiving these irritating calls by taking action!
