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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

Medicare and Fraud Prevention Information for People with Disabilities

Many people with disabilities have or are eligible for Medicare, but because most Medicare education efforts focus on seniors, people under 65 may be less equipped to navigate their benefits and detect Medicare fraud.

The Medicare Rights Center, through grant funding from the Administration for Community Living, has teamed up with Senior Medicare Patrols (SMPs) across the country to bring timely Medicare and fraud prevention tips to people with disabilities.

SMP Medicare Minutes are part of an innovative program whereby trained volunteers give short, engaging presentations to community sites each month. Each Medicare Minute presentation usually lasts 5 to 10 minutes, provides information on a timely Medicare- and fraud-related topic, and can be layered onto your existing programs. You can schedule them before or after regularly scheduled events, and they are usually followed by audience questions and discussion. Additionally, Medicare Minutes can be given via conference call to allow people who have trouble commuting to a site each month to still benefit from the information.

If your Independent Living Center would like to learn more about bringing Medicare Minutes to people with disabilities, please contact Scarlet Watts at the Medicare Rights Center, at [email protected] or 212-204-6285.