Medicare Benefit Update, aka Unified Health

When the government sends you a notice (or a second notice), it’s worth your attention – especially if it has to do with your Medicare benefits. But in the case of the blue postcard above, which was sent in by a reader, the card isn’t a notice from the government, but rather marketing material from a for-profit company called Unified Health. And that makes us red!

Unified Health wants to sell elderly consumers Medicare insurance products and despite claims on its website to be “an integrity company,” it’s using underhanded tactics to do so. This includes only revealing its true identity in light grey fine print at the bottom of the back of the card. But let’s start where consumers who receive the postcard most likely will after they turn it over – at the top:

The first sentence on the back of the card says that the card is a “Medicare Notice” but it’s not. It’s really just marketing material designed to look official so that we seriously consider what comes next: a warning that many are failing to claim new Medicare benefits. Now that we’re worried, the alluring hook is set – bold savings and coverage claims (that lack any information regarding eligibility). And, finally, a telephone number is provided to call for our “free Medicare review” – more like a call to collect our personal information and try to sell us something.

But just as the fine print on this postcard informed us that the card wasn’t from the government, the fine print also provides the right advice: If you have questions about benefits or eligibility, go to Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get free and accurate information on all your options.

TINA.org reached out to Unified Health for comment. Check back for updates.

Find more of our coverage on deceptive mailings here.