[Stu from NYC]

Most of these calls inform you that you are on a recorded line for your protection.

For my protection I than hang up.

[FredJacobs]

I never answer calls when caller ID shows either Unidentified, Unknown or Out of Area. I don't answer calls that show a name I never heard of. I don't answer calls that come from a toll free number - 888, 877, 855, etc. Almost all of them disconnect on the 4th ring. If it is important the caller can leave a message and I will call back. Also, never answer the phone on the 2nd ring. These calls are tests and identify you as someone who will answer whenever the phone rings.

[petiteone]

Originally Posted by Roron123

No! They are HMO plans which your beloved Dr may not be participating in and Government trying to get you to leave Medicare! I will never leave Medicare for an Advantage plan and lose my doctors who do not participate on these plans! Out of pocket is high if you go out of plan! I was on one for a year and never again thank you!

We get our retirement Medicare Advantage PPO through my husband's employer BLueCrossBlueShield. Co-pays are $15, we meet out deductible early in the year so drug costs are low. It covers Emergencies/Hospitalizations at The Villages Hospital, but The Villages Health Care System won't take it for PCPs.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by petiteone

We get our retirement Medicare Advantage PPO through my husband's employer BLueCrossBlueShield. Co-pays are $15, we meet out deductible early in the year so drug costs are low. It covers Emergencies/Hospitalizations at The Villages Hospital, but The Villages Health Care System won't take it for PCPs.

True story. My mother spent the last 4 months of her life in the hospital or in one of 5 different nursing homes for rehab. She had original Medicare and a supplement, so no copays. We often saw a female doctor who would show up no matter where my mother was and asked how she was doing. The doctor had never been hired by us, but we originally assumed that she worked for the hospital. The doctor never prescribed any medication and did not give any detailed medical advice. Apparently, she made the rounds every day to all of the hospitals and nursing homes in the area, visiting multiple patients at each location. When my mother died, I went through the Medicare statements and found out that this doctor was paid about $80 every day for an office visit to my mother for about 120 consecutive days. I don’t think the doctor would have been able to do that with a Medicare advantage plan because of the copays. This may sound like Medicare fraud, but, as long as the doctor actually saw my mother every day, I think the charges would be valid. I don’t know how she got my mother’s SS number, but she probably just asked my mother for it.

[Dana1963]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I have been getting about 5 phone calls every day from people trying to sell me a Medicare Advantage plan. I thought the new Florida law allowed me to get $500 per call for these illegal calls. Does anyone know how I can get my money? Is the new law doing anything to reduce the calls?

Based on the number of calls I get and the TV ads, there must be a huge profit margin in Medicare advantage plans. My theory is that there is so much fraud in the original Medicare program (Parts A and B) that the private companies who manage the advantage programs (Part C) can reap huge profits by eliminating some of the fraudulent claims that would normally slip through the cracks when processed directly by the Federal Government under original Medicare.

I still feel left out why am I not getting these calls too?
NO ONE

[retiredguy123]

They are definitely calling about Medicare Advantage plans, and I never requested any information. In fact, I don't even have Medicare, except for the Part A hospitalization, but they assume that I have Parts A and B. I don't think there is any way to get the company name. I assume these are people working from home to get a commission for making a sale or for just getting a lead. But, I literally get at least 5 calls every day, which seems like overkill for the callers, who must spend a lot of time and make a lot of calls to make a sale.