Unwanted COVID tests sent to Medicare recipients raises concerns

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - If you or a loved one receives Medicare, you may be part of what’s considered a growing scam across the country right now.

It involved unsolicited COVID tests mailed to Medicare beneficiaries then billed through their Medicare numbers.

To file a complaint and report unwanted COVID tests, you can submit a Hotline Complaint on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or you can call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227.

For suspected Medical Identity Theft, you can contact Health and Human Services Fraud Hotline by calling 1-800-447-8477. You can also contact your local Attorney General. You can file a complaint with the MO Attorney General and the IL Attorney General, or you can call the KY Attorney General at 888-432-9257.

We recently met with a local woman who took on her mother’s finances only to find it happening right here in the Heartland.

“Well, I noticed last fall that my mother was getting COVID tests. And when I questioned her, she was like, ‘I didn’t order this stuff. These boxes just keep coming.’”

So, Sheryl Winchel keeps counting the COVID tests sent to her 88-year-old mother, Rosemary Weiss.

“I started keeping the wrappers so I could keep track of all of the different companies that were sending us kit after kit after kit. Sometimes there’s four in a package,” she noted.

At last count, Winchel’s mom received 14 packages from eight different companies.

“And then this one probably has two or four in it,” Winchel said as she showed us a sealed brown box.

“This came the same week,” she continued. “And I think this one is one of my three-peat repeaters. BioPrecision Laboratories. This company has sent us at least three boxes and two billings.”

One of the boxes said Ohio.

“This is Jackson, Ohio,” Winchel said as she opened the box to show what’s inside. “And here we go. And this is going to be a really big one because this has four of the tests in it.”

Winchel said a quick check of her mom’s Medicare billing summary shows she’s not paying for these unwanted tests, but you are. Medicare is paying more than $90 every time a company bills Rosemary’s Medicare number.

“So, that’s a lot of money that Medicare has been paying out on my mother’s behalf. I may need that Medicare money to be there for her care on important things, not on something that we didn’t order.”

According to a quick internet search, what’s happening to Winchel’s mom is happening to a growing number of Medicare recipients across the country. In New Hampshire, officials issued a consumer alert on what they call COVID Test Medicare Scams. In New York, a group that protects seniors also sounded the alarm.

“If this is happening to us, how many more people are being charged this and don’t realize that their Medicare money is being wasted.”

We reached out to a number of agencies on Sheryl and her mom’s behalf, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS.

A CMS spokesperson told us they have seen an increase in complaints from Medicare beneficiaries about COVID tests since the public health emergency ended in May.

CMS also identified providers billing for an unusually high number of COVID test kits and has suspended payment to more than 100 of those companies.

That spokesperson added, receiving unwanted COVID tests does not necessarily mean your Medicare number is compromised, but you can request a new number by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.

We also asked Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey about it during a recent visit to the Heartland.

Bailey encouraged the family to file a complaint with his office.

“I would encourage the individual absolutely to reach out,” Bailey said. “And certainly, if this is a pattern of behavior, that’s something we’re going to want to get on top of and investigate further to make sure we’re putting a stop to it.”

Now, we want to hear from you.

If you or a loved one has been receiving these unwanted tests or seeing payments for them on your Medicare summary, email kathy.sweeney@kfvs12.com.

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