Protecting Seniors from Unethical and Misleading Commercial Campaigns

The Medicare Store

The Medicare Store — a Nevada-based company that provides no-cost Medicare advice — has recently received news that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been cracking down on deceptive advertising practices that potentially harm seniors.

 

CMS released official guidelines to begin cracking down on unethical advertisements and misleading commercials from all Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs). CMS is particularly concerned with national advertisements promoting Medicare Advantage plan benefits and cost savings, which are only available in limited service areas or for limited groups of enrollees.

 

“There are big call centers that are basically cherry-picking one Medicare plan benefit from one plan in one county, perhaps Florida, and broadcasting it nationwide, implying that if someone calls their 1-800 number, they can get that benefit,” said Calvin Bagley, President/CEO of The Medicare Store. “But Medicare plans differ by county and state, so what they are advertising may not even be available to the people seeing the commercial on TV.”

 

Misleading commercials featuring famous athletes or celebrities to endorse insurance plans or benefits that aren’t available for most seniors is a marketing ploy, which is confusing for seniors who may already have a difficult time navigating Medicare and choosing a plan.

 

“I can’t even begin to tell you how many calls we get from people who claim that they didn’t know their Medicare plan was being changed when they called one of these 1-800 numbers. They often come to us because they can no longer access their doctor or they lost coverage for their prescriptions and we have to fix it” said Bagley. “We have made it our personal mission at The Medicare Store to protect seniors and make sure they know NOT to call a random 1-800 number, but instead to sit down with one of our local Licensed Representatives to get free, unbiased, personalized Medicare advice.”

 

The Medicare Store is local and looks out for the communities they serve. They know the local Medicare plans, the local doctors, the local networks, and the nuances in the local healthcare industry that someone in a call center across the country simply can’t know.

 

Call us today for a local, unbiased, no-cost look at your Medicare plan. 1-888-333-5853

Watch the commercial campaign below!