Medicare Telemarketers

[Thomas McCurnin]

So, how many calls do you get a day?

Mine are exclusively from US Healthcare, which I think is a fake name, which the caller says is in Eel Payso, Texas, Kinkinayti Ohio, or some other mispronounced city. Of course, when I ask for the office address, they can't give it to me.

They want your personal information, and I'm not sure whether it is a scam or just a telemarketer in India that hands me off to another guy, a real licensed broker, as we haven't got that far yet.

This guy yesterday said he didn't know his address, even though he was working in the office. I asked him how he got to work everyday if he didn't know the address. Just drive around Eel Payso until you recognize the building?

[Bill George]

I find when I inquire for like a certain company they inform me they can get any rate you want? But when I ask for the info and rates via email I never hear another word??

[Jim Becker]

I get zero calls a day for Medicare marketing and in general. The only calls I've received in recent months that I was unhappy about were a few from a collection firm that was trying to reach a debtor who either had my phone number in the past or put it on some application a year or two ago. I know the names and the circumstances for both so it's easy to tell the caller that they are dialling up the wrong tree, as it were.

[Lee DeRaud]

I get zero calls a day for Medicare marketing and in general. The only calls I've received in recent months that I was unhappy about were a few from a collection firm that was trying to reach a debtor who either had my phone number in the past or put it on some application a year or two ago. I know the names and the circumstances for both so it's easy to tell the caller that they are dialling up the wrong tree, as it were.
Nothing by phone, but I'm getting 2-3 snail-mail offers every day.

But more than half of them aren't even for me. I still live in the same house my ex and I bought in 1979, so as expected, her name is still in databases for this address. The really funny bit is that her second husband shows up in multiple databases as having once lived here, so I get spam for him too.

(It apparently works both ways: it took several tries to get obe of their addresses removed from the 'former addresses" section of my credit reports.)

[Jim Becker]

Lee, yes, some come in the mailbox, but they go right into the recycling bin without even coming in the house. I already made my election and I use the online systems to do that kind of thing, anyway. To your point, some of them are addressed to the original owner who had the house from when it was built in 1993 and lives somewhere up in New Hampshire or Maine or something. She left here in about 2014 I believe which was about when the folks we bought from bought the property from here.

[Bruce Wrenn]

We have a land line, but always let answering machine pick it up. Thinking of changing message to "Yes our answering machine works, so you don't need to call back tomorrow to see if it still works." Get one call just before 8:00 AM, which is definitely against the rules. Our choice is easy, wife United Health Care thru AARP, and mine is Humana as part of my retirement from former employer.

[Lee DeRaud]

We have a land line, but always let answering machine pick it up. Thinking of changing message to "Yes our answering machine works, so you don't need to call back tomorrow to see if it still works."
Heh. I've got the ringers turned off on the landline phones. The message got changed to "This number is for outgoing calls only. Please call on my mobile number. If you don't know that one, leave a message and I'll get back to you in a couple of weeks." (Or not.)

[mike calabrese]

I get about 3 a week and from every state in the union. My cell phone displays the number and the state and I keep blocking the numbers .
Really pizzes me off when I am in the shop and the darn phone call comes in, I never answer. And what about those stupid TV commercials . We must see goofy old Martha with the way oversized eye glasses multiple times a day. Who in the heck creates those stupid commercials thinking real people can relate to an angry old lady throwing a tantrum until she is told the call is free then can't wait to get to the phone and make the call. Every time I see that grumping old gal my IQ drops a few points and my blood pressure rises. Guess maybe I should call to get everything I am entitled to. :mad: :eek:
calabrese55

[Jerome Stanek]

I have Magic jack for my land line and they have a call screening that the person has to press a dandom number to put the call through to ring the phone. Every now and then we shut that ogg just to see how many calls we would get.

[Chris Schoenthal]

I only get a couple of spam calls a day, I just don't answer numbers that aren't in my contacts. More of them want to buy one of the houses I own than provide healthcare.
I get mail for my parents and in-laws, both who lived with us for a while and yet passed away over 10 years ago.
I wish someday the databases floating around would get updated.

[Earl McLain]

I only get a couple of spam calls a day, I just don't answer numbers that aren't in my contacts. More of them want to buy one of the houses I own than provide healthcare.
I get mail for my parents and in-laws, both who lived with us for a while and yet passed away over 10 years ago.
I wish someday the databases floating around would get updated.

That update must take a while--my first wife moved out 22 years ago, and she gets more Medicare mailings than i do still. Go figure...

[Lee DeRaud]

That update must take a while--my first wife moved out 22 years ago, and she gets more Medicare mailings than i do still. Go figure...
My ex moved out in 1986, moved to Idaho in 1998, still gets spam here: I'm not sure those databases ever get updated.

[Jim Koepke]

Really pizzes me off when I am in the shop and the darn phone call comes in, I never answer. And what about those stupid TV commercials . We must see goofy old Martha with the way oversized eye glasses multiple times a day.

It will only go for another month or so when the enrollment period ends.

I'm rather happy with my plan and have no reason to change.

As far as the TV ads go most of the time my programs are recorded to allow fast forwarding through the commercials.

Another trick is sometimes when first getting up the TV will be paused while letting the cat in and taking care of morning chores or checking the computer. If the receiver is left on in the morning about an hour and a half can be rewound. This is good for watching the morning news programs. Also can record the late night TV to watch in the morning.

jtk

[Tim Elett]

I just don't answer the phone EVER. I just may some time if I am really board, but that hasn't happened yet 🤣

[Mike Henderson]

I only get a couple of spam calls a day, I just don't answer numbers that aren't in my contacts. More of them want to buy one of the houses I own than provide healthcare.
I get mail for my parents and in-laws, both who lived with us for a while and yet passed away over 10 years ago.
I wish someday the databases floating around would get updated.

The people who sell those mailing lists sell them by the name, so they have no incentive to reduce the number of names in the database. The people who buy the lists generally have no way of checking the accuracy of the lists.

Mike

[Bill Dufour]

Mike beat me to it. I understand a broker gets $70 for each medicare customer they sign up. I have no idea if they get money next year if nothing changes?
Bill D

[Rick Potter]

I average maybe 8-10 a day on the land line, which is always unanswered, and we check messages, and seldom answer them. Cell phone we get hardly any thank goodness.

Most robocalls are from people who want to buy one of my rentals for cheap, so they can flip them in a week, like they learned on HGTV, followed by car warranties or medical stuff. Our number is still in the book, if there still is a phone book.

[Ronald Blue]

I have received zero calls and wouldn't take them if I did. As was already mentioned I do receive snail mail but that is easily dealt with. We haven't had a land line in 7 or 8 years so that's not an issue. I do wonder how they get some addresses for the mailings though. We lost our youngest son in a car accident 20 years ago this month. We received a mailing in his name just recently at this address. It never existed until 5 years ago (we built a new home on a location that was a field) and we have moved twice since that day.

[Von Bickley]

We eliminated our landline. So nice not hearing that phone.

[Rod Sheridan]

Haha, Martha, we see her in Canada when watching PBS.

What are they actually selling? I was under the impression that healthcare was paid for by the government for people 65 and older?

I turned 65 and my co-pay on prescriptions is now $100 per year, it’s weird when you go to the pharmacy a few times and exceed the $100 dollars.

After that they just hand you your prescription at no charge while I stand there with my debit card in hand looking confused.

Regards, Rod

[Brian Elfert]

Medical care for those 65 and older in the USA is what I would call a mess. Medicare is not free. It is $175 a month for the part that covers doctor visits. There is a 20% co-pay for doctor visits and other routine care. A hospitalization has a $1600 deductible that applies to any hospital bills for 60 days. If you go 60 days without any hospitalization you pay another $1,600. There is a $400 per day co-pay if you hospitalized over 60 days. A nursing home is only covered for 20 days. Medicare does not pay for routine annual physicals, nor for vision care. There is no prescription drug coverage by default unless the drugs are administered in a hospital, or other medical facility. You have to buy part D coverage for prescriptions.

Most retirees will take out additional health insurance that covers some of these costs, and often has additional benefits. Some of the additional insurance will include part D coverage for prescription drugs.

All of the telemarketing is to get seniors on Medicare to sign up for additional insurance as it is annual Medicare open enrollment season. The amount of advertising and marketing for Medicare plans is simply crazy. I still get a daily newspaper and there will be at least half a dozen inserts weekly in the paper advertising Medicare plans.

[Ronald Blue]

Medical care for those 65 and older in the USA is what I would call a mess. Medicare is not free. It is $175 a month for the part that covers doctor visits. There is a 20% co-pay for doctor visits and other routine care. A hospitalization has a $1600 deductible that applies to any hospital bills for 60 days. If you go 60 days without any hospitalization you pay another $1,600. There is a $400 per day co-pay if you hospitalized over 60 days. A nursing home is only covered for 20 days. Medicare does not pay for routine annual physicals, nor for vision care. There is no prescription drug coverage by default unless the drugs are administered in a hospital, or other medical facility. You have to buy part D coverage for prescriptions.

Most retirees will take out additional health insurance that covers some of these costs, and often has additional benefits. Some of the additional insurance will include part D coverage for prescription drugs.

All of the telemarketing is to get seniors on Medicare to sign up for additional insurance as it is annual Medicare open enrollment season. The amount of advertising and marketing for Medicare plans is simply crazy. I still get a daily newspaper and there will be at least half a dozen inserts weekly in the paper advertising Medicare plans.

And that's where the Advantage plans are much better. I have optical and dental. All my prescriptions are free. Some aren't but the ones I use are. I get an annual physical and in-network PCP is no charge. Specialists are $30 co-pay. What's available for a person varies by state and county. If one has an account they can compare all the available plans for their specific area. I pay the monthly soon to be $175 as well but nothing else. If you have straight Medicare with a supplement the premium will continue to increase year after year. Everyone has to decide what is best for them.

[Jim Becker]

I agree, Ron, and that's the direction I took. But not because of any phone calls that this thread is about...which I fortunately do not get.

[Jim Koepke]

On the land lines, most calls come in over internet, most likely from some low cost labor country. There is always a delay between my answering and the calling end. It used to annoy me that after waiting a few seconds someone would come on and say, "hello." Now it is kind of fun to hang up on them as they begin to say, "hello." I know the feeling of frustration of experiencing this from my days of being a field service tech. Many of the second tier pay phones at the time had a similar delay when calling from them. Getting hung up on before a connection completed was not only frustrating, it cost me some change.

jtk

[Lee DeRaud]

On the land lines, most calls come in over internet, most likely from some low cost labor country. There is always a delay between my answering and the calling end. It used to annoy me that after waiting a few seconds someone would come on and say, "hello." Now it is kind of fun to hang up on them as they begin to say, "hello." I know the feeling of frustration of experiencing this from my days of being a field service tech. Many of the second tier pay phones at the time had a similar delay when calling from them. Getting hung up on before a connection completed was not only frustrating, it cost me some change.

Most of the time with spammers/scammers, the delay is because their system dials multiple numbers at once and the calls are routed to operators as they are answered. The combination of delay and background voices is a pretty clear sign of a call coming from a phone bank.

Got one a couple days ago: delay, voices in background, then finally a (heavily accented) voice saying, "Dad?" (pause) "How are you?" Me: "Still childless." Then, "Dad? I broke my nose." (Bit slow on the uptake, this one.) Me: "Probably ought to go to the ER then." (pause) (click)

I suppose I shouldn't be at this point, but I'm still amazed that scams like this work often enough to be cost-effective, given the required infrastructure.

[Dave Fritz]

Any ad that says, a certified insurance agent will speak with you is a red flag. they make a commission. We're using the Medicare.gov web site and it saved us 3,000 this year. I think companies raise the price through the years because people find it too cumbersome to change. I do have a question however so I'm making an apt. with my local commission on aging for a free evaluation and help. None of these people make a cent from me other than their salary which is paid by my taxes. I'll use what I've already paid for and consider it an outstanding investment. Compare a public employee's salary to the insurance agent.

[Jim Becker]

Most of the time with spammers/scammers, the delay is because their system dials multiple numbers at once and the calls are routed to operators as they are answered. The combination of delay and background voices is a pretty clear sign of a call coming from a phone bank.
This is an accurate statement...a good chunk of my business prior to retirement was providing world-class contact center solutions to clients. Some systems have better prediction algorithms than others which affects the amount of delay before an "answered" call that was dialed is assigned to a live person, but the delay is absolutely because of what happens in software to assign the "answered" call as well as the ratio of out-dialed calls to people available to service them.

[Bill George]

A word of warning. I was all hyped about cutting my monthly premium cost by switching from Plan F to G. Wow when I signed up with F back in 2008 it was open enrollment for me and I got good rate. Now filling the application for G when I answered the health questions, now I am no longer getting a good rate, in fact it would be higher almost than I am paying Now for Plan F, nope not going to be a savings for me.

Be careful folks.

[Mike Henderson]

A word of warning. I was all hyped about cutting my monthly premium cost by switching from Plan F to G. Wow when I signed up with F back in 2008 it was open enrollment for me and I got good rate. Now filling the application for G when I answered the health questions, now I am no longer getting a good rate, in fact it would be higher almost than I am paying Now for Plan F, nope not going to be a savings for me.

Be careful folks.

Looks like you went through underwriting. That's a problem for people who initially sign up for an Advantage plan and then want to go back to original Medicare. You can do that, but you may go through underwriting for your supplement plan. If you have any health issues, that supplement plan can be cost prohibitive. You'd be stuck with your Advantage plan.

I'm not a big fan of Advantage plans for older people. Traditional Medicare gives you the most flexibility.

Mike

[Bill George]

Looks like you went through underwriting. That's a problem for people who initially sign up for an Advantage plan and then want to go back to original Medicare. You can do that, but you may go through underwriting for your supplement plan. If you have any health issues, that supplement plan can be cost prohibitive. You'd be stuck with your Advantage plan.

I'm not a big fan of Advantage plans for older people. Traditional Medicare gives you the most flexibility.

Mike

Nope always been on Plan F never any Advantage plan. The application never left my desk, I used the Form and the Rate book.

[Ronald Blue]

Looks like you went through underwriting. That's a problem for people who initially sign up for an Advantage plan and then want to go back to original Medicare. You can do that, but you may go through underwriting for your supplement plan. If you have any health issues, that supplement plan can be cost prohibitive. You'd be stuck with your Advantage plan.

I'm not a big fan of Advantage plans for older people. Traditional Medicare gives you the most flexibility.

Mike

However the supplemental premium continues to rise year after year and becomes difficult for some to afford. My mother in law had a good supplemental plan but the premium was up to almost $900 per month. She passed away in February this year 4 days shy of her 92nd birthday. There are pluses and minuses to both and there is no one size fits all. One major factor would be whether you have providers in your area that are part of the network.

[Jim Becker]

That's exactly right, Ron. The specific carrier and specific plan really matters. I feel pretty blessed with what I have available here in the Philadelphia area.

[Rod Sheridan]

I’ve learned a lot in this thread, this is a complicated subject.

Thanks to everyone who posted to help me understand.

Regards, Rod.