LANSING - The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging (OSA) today warned citizens about recent reports of scam artists contacting seniors in an attempt to obtain personal information by asking them to reveal Medicare, Social Security or bank account numbers, or pay a fee to receive a $250 Medicare rebate check.

"We want to protect our seniors and are warning them to be on the alert for scam artists," said Sharon Gire, Director of the OSA. "These one-time Medicare rebate checks will be mailed to eligible individuals automatically and if contacted, seniors should not provide their personal information."

The DHHS and OSA are urging Medicare beneficiaries not to provide personal information to anyone representing themselves as a "Medicare" or "government" worker if contacted by phone, mail, or in person in exchange for a $250 Medicare rebate check. These one-time rebates are automatically mailed to Medicare recipients when they reach the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap, also known as the 'donut hole.'

A Medicare recipient will receive their $250 rebate check within 45 days of reaching the $2,830 expenses threshold for prescription drugs during a calendar year. Once that threshold is met the recipient must pay 100 percent of the prescription drug costs up to $3,610, including deductibles and co-pays, before receiving low-cost Medicare drug coverage at the catastrophic level. The $250 rebate check is intended to help citizens offset the cost of prescription drugs.

The rebate checks have resulted from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and signed by President Obama earlier this year. The new law addresses the elimination of this ‘donut hole,' with further assistance phased in over the next few years.

Everyone who falls into the 'donut hole' during 2010 will receive a $250 check no matter what his or her level of income. This money is tax free, and there are no requirements on how the money must be spent.

For further information, call the national Medicare office at (800) 633-4227. In Michigan, call MMAP at (800) 803-7174.