Clackamas County Social Services

The SHIBA Chronicles

Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance

2025, Issue 1

Medicare Fraud Prevention Week is June 2 – June 8

The Clackamas County SHIBA Program is partnering with the Milwaukie Community Center on Thursday, June 5, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to highlight MFPW with a free shred event.

Why is this week important? According to Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), “Medicare loses an estimated $60 billion each year due to fraud, errors, and abuse, though that number is impossible to measure. Every day, issues related to these problems affect people across the country, often costing them time, money, and well-being”.

Join us at our shred event to learn more about how to protect yourself and others from Medicare fraud!

Learn more about this event

Medicare Preventive Services – are you missing out?

Medicare covers many “preventive services”, which include exams, shots, lab tests and screenings that help you take care of your health. This is a benefit under Medicare Part B, and there is no cost to Medicare beneficiaries for most of these services if your provider accepts assignment (meaning they agree to take the payment designated by Medicare and not charge above that amount).

See guide to find out more

If you need to change your prescription drug plan (PDP), you might be able to do so now.

As of Jan. 1 of this year, anyone who qualifies for Extra Help/Low-Income Subsidy has a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to change their Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) on a monthly basis. If you need help comparing PDPs or determining whether or not you qualify for Extra Help/Low-Income Subsidy, contact SHIBA to speak with a certified volunteer counselor.

See factsheet to compare

Over one billion people around the world volunteer annually – it’s a powerful way to make a difference!

The Clackamas County SHIBA program served 2285 residents through Medicare counseling and outreach events this past year, which included 1020 hours of one-on-one counseling sessions. Consider joining our amazing team of volunteers to help us assist the more than 96,000 Medicare-eligible citizens of our county.

For more information, contact Clackamas County SHIBA program coordinator Kristina John Baptiste at kjohnbaptiste@clackamas.us, or complete the volunteer counselor application.

Volunteer application

Are you confused by the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

Many people who call our program don’t know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid and use the terms interchangeably, which is understandable, as the two terms sound very similar. Medicare primarily covers individuals age 65 and older, and some younger people with disabilities, while Medicaid provides coverage for low-income individuals and families, regardless of age.

Learn more

Medicare Fraud Alert

Medicare scams are unfortunately common and come in many different and ever-evolving forms. One of the more prevalent scams is the Medicare card scam. Callers identifying themselves as Medicare representatives call Medicare beneficiaries claiming they need to send them a new Medicare cared. They ask you to verify your Medicare number, and that’s the information they use to submit false claims to Medicare.

What should you be aware of to stop “New Medicare Card” scams?

Medicare will never call you out of the blue – just hang up if a caller claims to be a Medicare representative.
Medicare cards were updated in 2018 when Medicare numbers were changed from a person’s Social Security number to a random identifier that includes numbers and letters. There is no plan to update it again.
Do not confirm your Medicare number or answer “Yes” to any questions.
Guard your Medicare card and number like a credit card – don’t share your number, laminate it, make copies or let anyone else make a copy.

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is a partner program of SHIBA that educates Medicare beneficiaries on how to detect, prevent and report Medicare waste, fraud and abuse. If you have any concerns about Medicare fraud, please call us at 503-655-8269, option 4.