What is the role of the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman?

September 20, 2009 by admin

The role of the Medicare Ombudsman is to make certain that Medicare effectively provides help to people with Medicare about any aspect of the Medicare program, and to make sure that beneficiaries get assistance with any Medicare question or complaint, or assistance with appeals. There are already many ways for beneficiaries to get information or have their problems resolved, and the Ombudsman is not to replace these existing mechanisms but to enhance them. The Ombudsman works within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure that Medicare programs serve beneficiaries well, and that information about your rights and protections is available. The Ombudsman will work with the Medicare program to understand system-wide problems, and bring about improvements to the agency's programs for beneficiaries. Please visit the Beneficiary Ombudsman section of Medicare.gov for additional information. If you have a particular question or concern regarding Medicare, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for assistance.