Michigan’s insurance regulator and its health department are warning older residents about callers who pose as Medicare staff and push Part D drug coverage. The Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued the alert Oct. 12, three days before Medicare open enrollment began. Local broadcasters carried the warning Oct. 14.
The pitch the agencies describe is pressure: join a Part D plan or lose Medicare coverage. Both offices say that is false. In the state’s words, the prescription drug plan is “completely voluntary.” Open enrollment runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and scammers tend to use that window to make a routine choice sound like an emergency.
DIFS Director Anita Fox said bad actors may try to steal personal information or money, and that people should never share information with unexpected contacts. MDHHS Acting Director Amy Epkey said certified counselors offer free help choosing Medicare plans. The question for a Michigan resident who got a call is simple: was any of it required? According to the DIFS and MDHHS release, none of it is.
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What the callers say, and why it is false
The state describes several versions of the same trick. Unsolicited callers, visitors or mailers ask for personal details or a Medicare number. Some claim to be from Medicare itself. Others say a drug plan must be added now or coverage ends.
The release is blunt on the facts. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) never calls or visits homes to ask for personal information. Agents and brokers also may not say they are approved or endorsed by Medicare or any government agency. A caller who claims either one is breaking the rules.
Part D is optional. A person who skips it keeps Original Medicare hospital and doctor coverage. The decision on a drug plan belongs to the enrollee, on the enrollee’s timeline, with no payment taken over the phone.
Spoofed caller ID and look-alike mail
Caller ID is no proof. The state warns that scammers can spoof numbers so a call looks like it comes from a government office or a local plan. The safe response is to hang up and call back on a number found independently.
Mail is another route. Private companies send letters and postcards built to look like government notices, with disclaimers in small print. A postcard that claims to be from Medicare or authorized by it is a warning sign. The Medicare number is needed only when enrolling in a plan, and the state advises protecting it like a bank account number.
Where to verify a call or file a complaint
Medicare tells callers to verify any request through 1-800-MEDICARE, 800-633-4227. The program’s own page on reporting Medicare fraud and abuse explains how to report a suspicious contact. The main site at Medicare.gov carries the open enrollment dates.
Michigan offers its own help lines. MI Options gives free, unbiased counseling at 800-803-7174. The Michigan Senior Medicare Patrol is at 844-677-6424. The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team takes complaints at 517-335-7599, and DIFS takes them at 877-999-6442, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or through Michigan.gov/DIFSComplaints.
Comparing plans without the pressure
Residents who do want to review drug coverage can do it on their own terms with Medicare’s Plan Finder, which lists health and drug plans without a sales call. MI Options counselors can walk through the same screens at no charge.
The state also notes that 2026 brought changes worth a second look, including higher Part B and base Part D premiums, the first negotiated prices on several costly drugs and automatic yearly renewal of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan unless the enrollee opts out. None of those changes requires a phone call to act on.
Anyone who already gave a Medicare number or bank details to a caller can use the same lines above to report it. Time matters, because a stolen number can be used to bill Medicare or open accounts.
Got a call about Part D before Dec. 7?
Hang up. Enrollment is never mandatory and never requires a payment on a call.
A call like this is rarely the last one. A scammer who learns a Medicare number, a birth date or a bank detail on one call can come back with it, and an account that is not locked is the easiest door.
The Scam-Proof Your Accounts in a Weekend guide covers the steps that close those doors. It shows how to freeze your credit at all three bureaus, free by federal law, and how to lock your bank logins with two-step login, alerts and a verbal password. It lays out ten moves in about four hours, in the order that protects the most money first.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
