"IMPORTANT MEDICARE NOTICE"
When does Insurance Industry junk mail become fraud?
As someone who turns 65 in April, the insurance companies have been bombarding me with a constant barrage of junk mail advertising the “details” of their “IMPORTANT” Medicare enrollment plans. If AARP-United Healthcare, Walmart, Assurance.com (a division of Prudential Financial), Humana, TogetherHealth, BlueCross BlueShield and all the rest just sent me the money spent producing and delivering the junk, maybe I could afford to pay for the dental, eye and hearing care that my Medicare Part B medical doesn’t cover.
If one examines the junk the insurance companies are sending, it becomes apparent that AARP-UnitedHealthcare, Walmart, Assurance.com (a division of Prudential Financial), Humana, TogetherHealth, BlueCross BlueShield and all the rest, are like Trump University on steroids. If Trump could be prosecuted for his Trump University scam, how is it that there’s no Ralph Nader-like public interest law group or Attorney General filing a public interest lawsuit against all these “IMPORTANT” Medicare scammers mailing all this fraudulent junk?
Here’s a sampling of the junk I’ve been getting from the insurance companies. In an effort to impersonate a government agency and look like an official government document, several of the mailings use the fold and tear type envelopes sent by Social Security and the IRS.
TogetherHealth, an insurance agency:
“MEDICARE COVERAGE HELPLINE”
“Information About Your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period”
“Time-Sensitive Details Inside”
AARP-UnitedHealthcare (multiple mailings, including 2 large 9X12 envelopes stuffed full of “Plan for your future with Medicare supplement insurance” junk):
“IMPORTANT MEDICARE NOTICE FOR RESIDENTS OF RAMSEY COUNTY”
“Medicare Beneficiary Notification”
“Your Medicare enrollment period has started. Details inside.”
“Join AARP and the get access to exclusive rates on an AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan.” “It’s Medicare supplement time. You ready?”
“New to Medicare? Call today to get started. Details inside.”
“New to Medicare? Free Medicare Guide enclosed.”
“Take charge of your heath care. Look inside: Plan for your future with Medicare supplement insurance.”
Walmart Insurance Services: “Enrolling in Medicare?” “SECOND NOTICE”
BlueCross BlueShield (3 mailings):
“COURTESY NOTICE”
“TURN OVER FOR EASY OPENING INSTRUCTIONS” (fold and tear, government form-type envelope)
“IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR MEDICARE OPTIONS”
“DATED MATERIAL ENCLOSED. PLEASE OPEN IMMEDIATELY”
“MEDICARE ENROLLMENT UPDATE”
“Time-sensitive information about your options and next steps”
Humana Inc. (2 mailings):
“Important”
“Time may be running out for your Medicare Initial Enrollment”
“Important: Enroll before decision deadline”
“Important information about your Humana Medicare options Time-sensitive material”
National Processing Center, PO BOX 612265, DALLAS, TX 72261-9793: (postage-paid return post card with personal information request):
“Medicare Initial Election Period Inquiry for: Sheldon Gitis”
Assurance.com, a division of Prudential Financial (pseudo-governmental fold and tear envelope):
“Form AIS 1089H”
“ATTENTION: SHELDON GITIS”
“IMPORTANT: READ CAREFULLY”
“IMPORTANT MEDICARE INFORMATION”
“Important Medicare Enrollment Information”
“DEPT PHONE: 844-920-3392”
“PIN ID: 2663-6444”
MEDICA: “SHELDON, IT’S TIME TO SIGN UP FOR MEDICARE!”
UCare (4 mailings):
“Enroll in a Ucare Medicare plan now Enrollment ends Dec. 7”
“Get more in a Medicare plan Plan premiums start at $0 a month”
“Sign up for an online Medicare meeting at ucare.org/medicare06”
“Shopping for a Medicare plan? Keep your M Health Fairview doctor”
Maybe one way to bring some sanity to the insanity that is private insurance companies selling taxpayer-funded Medicare, would be to hit AARP-UnitedHealthcare, Assurance.com (a division of Prudential Financial), Walmart, Humana, TogetherHealth, BlueCross BlueShield and all the rest with a lawsuit. Not only is it fraudulent for the insurance companies to send expensive marketing materials with pseudo-governmental messaging, designed to convey a false sense of urgency, to older adults who may have health issues, it’s also a fraud on the US taxpayer, who funds Medicare to pay for health care, not to pay for costly and deceptive marketing. Rather than funding outrageously expensive, annoying, and misleading marketing campaigns, maybe Medicare dollars should be used for health care – what a concept.
Prior to getting stuck with a crappy “original” Medicare policy, I had very good State of Minnesota MNSure Medicaid insurance. I suspect that if everyone had State-provided Medicaid coverage comparable to Minnesota’s MNSure, and a mailbox free of the insurance industry junk, we’d all have much better health care at a much lower cost.
"Original Medicare" is not as good as Medicaid. Income limits for Medicaid when you are under 65 are higher than after 65 when you have Medicare. Medicare requires you to pay 20% of your medical bills - with no cap. And drug costs for people on Medicare can be outrageous. That's the stupid, disfunctional for-profit system Americans have settled for.