How to protect yourself from hospice fraud

Republican-led concerns about alleged widespread Medicare fraud underscore a recent spate of hospice fraud cases in California. But what does hospice fraud involve and how you can protect yourself?

As Ana B. Ibarra of CalMatters explains, there are many types of hospice fraud. It can be as simple as providers knowingly overcharging Medicare and Medi-Cal, or as complex as bad actors setting up a fake hospice agency, stealing people’s medical information and billing them for services that were never provided.

Scammers may make robocalls or approach people in random settings, offering unsuspecting victims gift cards or free healthcare services in exchange for detailed personal and medical information. They can also steal Medicare IDs from the dark web and then sell them to hospices.

In July 2024, Medicare denied Lynn Ianni’s claim for her last physical therapy session. Yanni, who testified last week at a congressional hearing on Medicare fraud, later learned she was supposed to be enrolled in hospice care in Arcadia. This resulted in Medicare refusing to cover her care despite the fact that she was paying her premiums.

• Jani: “I had no coverage or any services for over six months. I was really terrified because I couldn’t figure out how to solve it and I had no solution.”

Since 2021, the California Department of Justice has filed 119 criminal cases related to hospices, and earlier this month the department said it charged 21 suspects who allegedly defrauded the state of $267 million in a hospice fraud group.

To avoid fraud:

• Medicare Care Comparison provides quality results and a directory of legitimate hospice providers.
• Keep personal information safe, including your Medicare ID number and Social Security number.
• Double-check your Medicare summaries and explanation of benefits to ensure accuracy.
• If you think you are a victim of fraud, call the state Senior Medical Patrol line, a federally funded helpline that can help you opt out of services you didn’t ask for.

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For the record: Tuesday Bulletin misidentified with whom California authorities plan to share driver’s license information. They plan to share it with a national nonprofit.

In the elections for choose California’s next Secretary of Statevoters will choose between Democratic incumbent Shirley Weber and Republican Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu writes.

During his tenure as the state’s chief voter, Weber faced criticism for California’s slow ballot-counting process. In response, Weber told CalMatters that “Accuracy is much more important.”

Weber has defended California’s election laws several times in court, most recently fighting a lawsuit by the Trump administration seeking state voter registration data. If re-elected, Weber said she would continue to help expand voter outreach and encourage voter registration.

Weber’s challenger, Wagner, said he wants to end California’s practice of mailing ballots to every voter. If elected, he would support legislation to extend the deadline for certifying election results. Wagner is also a supporter of voter ID, a proposal that recently qualified to run in the November election.

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Struggling with rising costs, tariffs and a war driving up fuel prices, some small business owners in California are wondering how much longer they can allowed himself to stay in businessLevi Sumagasai of CalMatters reports.

Small businesses that employ fewer than 500 employees create millions of new jobs annually for the state and have been responsible in recent years for 99% of net new jobs. But for entrepreneurs like Nicole McDonald, who owns a business in San Diego that sells handbags, the economic challenges are huge.

Macdonald said her 2025 sales had halved from the previous year and she had cut her staff from 11 to three. It has spent tens of thousands of dollars paying duties, which also forced it to move production from China to India. Although it is unclear whether MacDonald will receive a refund due to a US Supreme Court ruling in Februaryshe said the damage was already done.

• McDonald: “That money could have gone to staff or to growth instead of going to tax.”

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As Californians over 65 grow to become the largest age group, senior centers provide meals, classes and social connections to combat isolation. CalMatters’ Isadora Kosofsky, Joe Garcia, and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on what some Centers in California work to address loneliness as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58pm weekdays on PBS SoCal.