Yes, I mean every piece of mail. A couple of months ago, my husband, following his usual routine, brought in the mail when he got home from work and tossed it on the counter right above the trash can. As I started to look through it, there was a plain white envelope with his name on the outside. I asked him if he wanted me to open it. He said, “looks like junk to me, just throw it away.” Following my instincts, I pushed him to open it where he found a check from the insurance company (a reimbursement he forgot about). He was going to throw away a couple of hundred dollars! This goes to show the importance of opening every piece of mail.
January marks the beginning of the year when many important documents can come through the mail. So can a lot of scams. Here are a few things to keep in mind when opening your mail.
Income Statements. Every year, the Social Security Payment amounts increase, and you get a new letter stating what your income will be for the coming year. Ensure that you store this where you can easily find it, make a copy, or even take a picture. This is proof of income that you will need for many items throughout the year
W2s/Tax Forms. Store these in a safe location where you can find them when it is time to file your taxes. While most of this is done online now, ensure that you have access from multiple locations if storing electronically, or printing a copy for the file cabinet. Again, these will be needed for many applications in the future, and you must keep them on hand for around 7 years (per the IRS). IRS.gov has all of the requirements for each type of record and retention.
Insurance Papers. You will get paperwork and packets from your current/new or previous insurance company. Make sure that you are reading those to understand your coverage. They may also be asking you questions about your health and your other coverage. Make sure that you are responding timely to ensure that you are not dropped from coverage. Be discerning about who you are sharing information with. Share it only with companies and plans that you are currently enrolled in. You will still get packets from folks trying to get you to change your coverage. You can also get scam letters to submit your cheek swab for genetic testing or to get free diabetic supplies. These are usually linked to scams that will excessively bill your Medicare coverage.
Explanation of Benefits. Make sure that you are reviewing the EOBs to ensure that they are only billing for services that you received. If you are seeing charges for services that you did not get, call 1-800-MEDICARE to report fraud. There are $60 billion per year lost to fraud. Let’s keep those dollars supporting actual needs.
Medicaid/DHHS. If you applied for Medicaid, Medicare Savings Program (MSP), or Extra Help, you may get a request for additional information. Respond only to requests from CMS, DHHS, or Medicare.
Junk Mail. It is hard to believe, but we still get an awful lot of junk mail. If it is from an insurance company and has a statement to “call now to speak to a licensed agent,” this is an advertisement trying to get you to sign up with their company. As noted in my initial story, make sure to open it, even if it looks like junk mail. It could be something that you forgot about or something that you need.
Don’t let the mail pile up on you. Open the mail regularly, every day if possible. Ask questions if you are not sure. Don’t ignore the mail. It won’t make the request go away. It could lead to a loss of coverage in some cases. MMAP counselors and CareWell employees can help you review your mail on occasion. For questions about MMAP or Medicare-related mail, call (800) 803-7174.
