Congress to Find Ways to Restrict Medicare Supplement Sales Tactics

We continue to hear more and more about unethical sales people pressuring Medicare recipients to purchase various Medicare supplemental policies that offer more coverage or different coverage for prescriptions and other products and services.  Throughout the country, Medicare recipients are getting calls from people trying to get them to buy additional coverage, drop their current coverage and change to new coverage and other such attempts.

In some cases these calls are legitimate and can be helpful, however, in too many cases the pressure tactics are extremely uncomfortable for individuals trying to determine the best coverage.  In addition, often the advice is not good advice.  It is not always the best idea to change policies or supplements and it is definitely not a good idea to consider making changes in coverage without consulting with individuals who have accurate information and without getting some information from the individual trying to get you to change.  It is important to try and get a name, phone number, company name, license number and mailed/written information from the individual trying to get you to change supplements.  If they are unwilling to give you any or all of this information, something is wrong.  Legitimate sales people and agents are almost always willing to provide information so that you will feel comfortable with them and with any choices they try to get you to make.

Congress will soon be working on ways to create uniform regulations that will protect Medicare recipients and make insurance companies who sell supplemental policies tow the line.  Once this process takes place it will make it more difficult for people trying to take advantage of Medicare recipients.  This may take some time to create and implement these protective measures, but states are working on the problem and trying to determine ways to keep Medicare recipients safe from predators and leave them with peace of mind.