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Medicare & Insurance
Medicare & Insurance
Our team can help you understand and navigate the many choices available to you Medicare and health insurance choices available to you.
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Need Help Navigating your Medicare Options?
Medicare is a federally funded health care program for people 65 and over, for those who have been receiving social security disability benefits for 24 months, and for those diagnosed with ALS or permanent kidney disease. Medicare maintains a national website, medicare.gov, where you can find the most up to date information about your Medicare benefits, rights, and responsibilities.
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To enroll in Medicare, or to find information related to social security benefits, contact your local social security office or go online at ssa.gov.
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Medicare 101
Our Medicare 101 sessions provide an overview of who qualifies, the different parts of Medicare, what is covered, and when to enroll. Attending a Medicare 101 informational session with Spectrum Generations empowers you when making decisions regarding your plans, as you receive unbiased information allowing you to make an educated decision on what plan is best for you.
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State Health Insurance Assistance program (SHIP)
SHIP services are free, confidential, and available to older people, as well as people who have Medicare due to a disability. We are always in need of volunteers to assist with this program – contact us today to find out more!
The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA)
MIPPA is specifically designed to help low-income seniors and persons with disabilities to apply for two programs that help pay for their Medicare costs.
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We can provide you, or your group, with information about Medicare fraud – and how to prevent it. Medicare fraud costs Medicare billions of dollars every year. It can higher Medicare premiums, deductibles, and co-payments. Losses due to fraud may also prevent Medicare from offering more services and better coverage.
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Your Medicare number can be used to bill Medicare for services and supplies you didn’t need or want, services and supplies your doctor did not order, services and supplies you can’t use, and services and supplies you did not receive.
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Senior Medicare Patrols
Senior Medicare Patrols empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers, to detect and report health care fraud, errors and abuse through outreach, and provide counseling and education.
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Helpful Links
Consumers for Affordable Health Care: A Maine-based non-profit organization advocating the right to quality, affordable health care for everyone.
Enroll 207.com: Your Maine Connection to the new Health Insurance Marketplace.
Navigating Medicare: An educational presentation providing an introduction to the complex Medicare system.
Money Saving Benefits Eligibility Factsheets: Eligibility checklist for both single income household, and couple or two-person household.
Medicare Plan Finder: Prescription drug coverage plan search guide.
Medicare Rights Center: Interactive, free, online resource for Medicare
Maine Bureau of Insurance: Regulates the insurance industry to protect and serve the public. Find information on Medicare Supplemental, Long Term Care, Individual Group, and other types of insurance available in Maine. You can also access information about insurance sales representatives, rules and regulations, and filing a complaint.
Medicare Scams: Tips from the Federal Trade Commission and the Maine Senior Medicare Patrol
The Maine Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), a national program fighting fraud and abuse in the Medicare system, would like to pass on a few tips from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), on how to avoid becoming a victim of a scam.
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People on Medicare are regularly targeted for scams. You might have received a call saying something like “Hello, this is Medicare calling. Your coverage is about to be canceled.” Every year during open enrollment season (and regularly), scammers pretending to be from the government, call trying to steal your money and your personal information.
Here’s what to do:
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Hang up. If someone calls claiming to be affiliated with Medicare, asking for your Social Security number or bank account information to get a new card or new benefits, that’s a scam. Period.
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Never give personal information to a caller claiming to be affiliated with Medicare. You can’t trust your caller ID. Scammers can make these calls look like they’re coming from the government even when they’re not. Before you give out any personal information, make your own call to 1-800-MEDICARE to check it out.
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Report the call. Report these impersonators at 1-800-MEDICARE and ReportFraud.ftc.gov. “The more we hear from you, the more we can help fight scams.”
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Another scam is related to Medicare Part D, which is an optional prescription drug insurance program for people on Medicare. You pay a monthly premium to an insurance carrier for your Part D plan. In return, you use the insurance carrier’s network of pharmacies to buy your prescription medications. To protect people, the law is very specific about how Medicare prescription drug plan providers conduct themselves.
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Medicare Part D plan representatives may enroll you on the phone only if YOU call them. To be on the safe side, call Medicare first to check out any provider you may be tempted to contact. The number to call is 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and the TTY number is 1-877-486-2048. The Medicare phone line is open 24 hours a day. The government does not recommend any particular prescription drug plan — it simply verifies that a provider is legitimate.
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Anyone who contacts you about Medicare Part D without you seeking them out first is likely a scammer. Don’t share your information, and don’t pay them.
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Medicare Part D providers may come to your home only if you’ve invited them. Don’t talk to anyone who comes to your door with unsolicited offers of drug coverage. The law says prescription drug benefit companies can’t visit your home unless you’ve given them permission.
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To report suspected Medicare fraud, contact your local Senior Medicare Patrol Program at 1-877-353-3771.
To learn more about Medicare Part D and the plans available in your area:
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Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit Medicare.gov.