I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. There seems to be a lot of private insurance companies that have started sending out advertising that is designed to appear as though it is coming from the federal government. I first became aware of the postcards that look like they are directly involved with Medicare. Since then, my husband has been sent both an email and a letter that are not from Medicare, but look like they are, at first glance.
My husband is not age 65 or older, but is getting Medicare because he is disabled. In the past, he has gotten mail from the AARP, which he is too young to be a member of. It seems that someone assumed that since he was eligible for Medicare, that it must also mean that he was member of the AARP. We have gotten used to seeing this kind of mail in our mailbox. I feel as though the AARP is not trying to sell him anything, so we simply recycle the mail they send, and go on with our day.
Earlier this week, he got a letter that appeared to be from Medicare. It was not one of the postcards that some people have been sent. Instead, this was a sealed envelope, that said something like “Important information about your Medicare benefits”. If it were a postcard, he would have immediately recycled it, because he knows that the federal government does not contact people about their Medicare benefits by postcard. Mail from them comes in a sealed envelope. This was a sealed envelope.
A closer look at it revealed that it was sent by a private insurance company, (something that included the phrase Financial Services in it’s name). This piece of mail was intentionally designed to frighten the recipient, and make him think that he has to open this envelope and respond to it quickly, for fear of losing his Medicare benefits. In reality, this is junk mail. The insurance company who sent it out was trying to trick people into becoming one of their customers.
My husband also got a nefarious email. The email said that it was from Medicare. However, the link in the email connected to a website that contained a series of links. Each one led to a private insurance company. None of it had anything to do with his actual Medicare benefits at all! This email was spam. If you, or one of your family members receives a letter, or an email, that seems to be from Medicare, make sure you take a close look at it. It could be trying to sell you an insurance policy.
Image by Isabelle Palatin on Flickr