Medicare Corner
Take Action: 1. Contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to learn about the Medigap rules in your state and to get help comparing plan options. To find a SHIP in another state call 877-839-2675 and say “Medicare” when prompted or visit www.shiphelp.org . 2. Go to the Medicare.gov website for online help comparing Medigaps in your area. 3. If you decide to purchase a Medigap, call the plan directly to purchase the policy. 4. Call your Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) if you have experienced potential fraud, errors, or abuse.
Medicare prescription drug benefit. Keep these notices of creditable coverage each year. If you decide to enroll in a Part D plan in the future, you may need these notices as proof that you had creditable coverage and should not have a late enrollment penalty. Read Your Medicare Statements to Detect Potential Medicare Fraud, Errors, or Abuse If you have Original Medicare, you should receive Medicare Summary Notices, or MSNs. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan or Part D plan, you should receive Explanation of Benefits, or EOBs. Your Medicare statements explain what services and items were billed, the Medicare-approved amount for each line item, and the amount that you may owe. Remember that MSNs and EOBs are not bills. Reading these statements can help you detect potential fraud, errors, or abuse.
Keep the following tips in mind: • Review your Medicare statements as soon as they arrive. • Confirm that you actually received all listed services or items, in other words, that it’s accurate. • Keep notes of your medical appointments and compare them to your Medicare statements. • Contact your health care provider if you have questions or notice any errors on your MSNs or EOBs. • Contact your Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) for a printed My Health Care Tracker (helps you track your appointments). • Download the mobile app, the SMP Medicare Tracker, which includes a My Health Care Tracker.
PCOA is your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) , and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) for Pima County. For assistance with your Medicare questions, email SHIP@pcoa.org or contact us at (520) 546-2011 .
September & October 2025, Never Too Late | Page 7
Pima Council on Aging
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