Medicare costs · Nationwide
Senior Medicare Patrol: Fraud and Billing Errors
Free help reading your Medicare statements and reporting charges for things you never received.
Written and checked by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward · Checked August 25, 2026
What this program is, in plain English
The Senior Medicare Patrol is a free, federally funded program in every state that helps you read your Medicare Summary Notice, spot charges for equipment or services you never got, and report them. They also handle the scam calls: the free brace offer, the genetic testing kit, the person claiming to be from Medicare asking for your number. Medicare will never call you asking for your Medicare number. If something has already happened, SMP helps you report it and works with investigators. There is never a fee.
What you actually get
Free review of Medicare statements, fraud reporting assistance, and recovery help when billing errors are found.
Who qualifies
- Income limit: Not yet verified — call to confirm
- Available to anyone with Medicare and to their caregivers. No income test.
What to have ready
- Your Medicare Summary Notices or Explanation of Benefits
- Notes about the call or offer if you are reporting a scam
How to apply
This program is run by State Senior Medicare Patrol programs, funded by the Administration for Community Living. Most decisions take Usually a call back within a few days.
We are not a government agency. These links go straight to the agency that runs the program. Applying is always free.
Every program on this site is free to apply for. Anyone who asks you to pay to apply, or to “unlock” a government benefit, is a scam — hang up and call Senior Medicare Patrol or 211.
Report something wrong on this page
Sources
- Program page — smpresource.org
- State Senior Medicare Patrol programs, funded by the Administration for Community Living — acl.gov
- Legal authority: 42 U.S.C. § 1395b-4 note; Older Americans Act Title IV demonstration authority
Checked August 25, 2026 by Jason Burns (http fetch + browser + content check 2026-08-25). Licensed under the Citation License 1.0.
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Not sure if this one is for you?
The free screener checks you against every program at once. It takes about two minutes and never asks for your name or phone number.
Start the free screener