Are food cards real?
Yes, in a narrow way. Some Medicare Advantage plans add extra benefits on top of Medicare, and for some plans that includes a prepaid card or allowance for over-the-counter items, healthy food or utilities. These are benefits of that plan, not a government payment.
- They only exist inside particular plans, and which plans offer them depends on your county.
- Some plans offer them to everyone in the plan, and some only to people with certain chronic conditions or with both Medicare and Medicaid.
- The amount, the stores, the items it can buy and when unspent money expires differ from plan to plan.
- You have to be enrolled in that plan to get it. You cannot get one with Original Medicare alone.
Why so many ads are bait
Medicare's marketing rules say plans and the people who represent them may not advertise without using specific plan names, and may not use confusing words or images or misleading Medicare logos. An ad that talks about 'your Medicare benefit' or 'a benefit card you have been missing' without naming a plan does not follow that spirit.
- The phone number often leads to a call center that works for a marketing company, not for the plan.
- Your name and number may be sold to other callers, which is why the calls increase after you answer.
- The goal is usually to get your Medicare number, or to get you to switch plans.
What you give up if you switch to get the card
Joining a Medicare Advantage plan changes how your coverage works. Make sure the card is worth it before you switch.
- Your doctors and hospitals have to be in the plan's network, or you may pay more or pay in full.
- You leave Original Medicare. If you have a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy, it may be hard or impossible to get back later, depending on your state.
- Your drug coverage and costs change with the new plan.
- You may be locked into the plan until the next enrollment period.
'Free money' claims that are plain fraud
These are not benefits at all. Medicare does not give out thousands of dollars to people who call a number.
- A 'government grant' or 'stimulus' for seniors that needs a fee, a card number or your Medicare number to claim
- A refund or rebate that needs your bank account to be sent
- A prize or gift card in return for 'confirming' your Medicare number
- Anything where you are told you must pay first to get money later