More On Medicare Rights

(CBS)  CBS New chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports that some $381 billion of your tax dollars are spent on Americans 65 and older. In recent years, more than 8 million are getting their Medicare services through private companies. But these companies don't always give the coverage and services they say they do — and that means big pains and even danger for some patients, but a profit for the insurance industry.

One group working to help seniors and disabled people learn their Medicare rights and options is the Medicare Rights Center.

What is the Medicare Rights Center?

The Medicare Rights Center, founded in 1989, is the largest independent source of Medicare health care information and assistance. The center helps older Americans and people with disabilities get the health care they are entitled to. According to its Web site, last year the center received about 90,000 hotline calls, worked on 16,000 new cases, and saved clients an estimated $14 million in out-of-pocket health care costs.

You can check out the group's Web site here. It offers information on enrollment programs and access to its education department — which teaches and counsels people about Medicare and has information about Medicare policy reform.

It also has a consumer hotline, 800-333-4114, through which the Medicare Rights Center "provides counseling to individuals who need answers to Medicare-related questions or help getting care."

Other resources

For information on how to get the Medicare services you need from the Department of Health and Human Services, check out its information booklet here.

How do I report Medicare fraud?

The Office of the Inspector General maintains a hotline that offers a confidential means for reporting information about fraud and other vital issues. The Hotline can be contacted by phone at 1800-HHS-TIPS or by e-mail at [e-mail].

Click here to learn more about how to report fraud.