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Seniors On Medicare Patrol In Miami

Al Diaz
/
Miami Herald

It’s a crime that requires no guns. It frequently goes unnoticed until after the fact, and the victims are unwitting U.S. taxpayers duped to the tune of $68 billion a year. Medicare fraud has become one of the most profitable illegal activities in the country — and South Florida is the most likely place to get fleeced.

But Joe Schwartz is on the case now, trying to change all that. The retired pharmaceutical executive joined the Senior Medicare Patrol, a national group, to help teach seniors how to educate other seniors and their caregivers about Medicare fraud, waste and abuse. In presentations at health fairs, senior centers, assisted living facilities — anywhere seniors or caregivers congregate — volunteers like Schwartz show Medicare and Medicaid recipients how to protect, detect and report scams.

Listen to the full broadcast of the story, which also appeared in The Miami Herald, here:

This piece was produced with help from Carla Javier.

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