On Medicare? Beware of Scam Phone Calls and Cold Call Visits

In Massachusetts, as part of the process of getting those who are currently on MassHealth or who have Commonwealth Care or Commonwealth Choice health insurance through the state to sign up for new MassHealth services or the new "Obamacare" insurance program (see NOTE), the state has hired dozens (if not hundreds) of people to make phone calls and knock on doors over the next three-six months.  

This has nothing to do with Medicare. As I have written before,Obamacare has nothing directly to do with Medicare.

• In particular, despite the state hiring all of these people, no one will call you on the phone or knock on your door concerning Medicare... ever.  Medicare is a Federal program.
• Instead if you have a question about Medicare, you need to be proactive but this protects you from identity theft and other scams. But there is plenty of help out there for you.

• If you are a legal resident of Massachusetts and have any questions about Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE or call your local Senior Center or any Senior Center and ask for someone in SHINE.
• This program is called SHIP nationwide but goes by various names in different states; if you legally reside outside Massachusetts, call the Senior Center near where you reside (if you get Medicare because of a disability, still start with the Senior Center). 
• There are some exceptions to the legal residence rules; for example, if you originally bought your Medicare Medigap supplemental insurance here in Massachusetts and legally moved elsewhere -- or vice versa -- you might be able to keep the Medigap insurance you started with no matter what your legal residence (and -- no surprise here -- it might be cheaper to choose a Medigap plan from your new legal residence but not all states have continuous open enrollment into and guaranteed issue of Medigap insurance the way Massachusetts does)