October 2023 Fraud Prevention Fact
Adult Immunizations: Do you have your shots?
This Month’s Fraud Fact is centered around immunizations. The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol wants to remind you that vaccines can help older adults.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that adults 60 and older get the new 2023-2024 updated Covid-19 vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine usually is recommended as well.
The SMP recommends that older adults also check with their doctors to find out whether they should receive other vaccines, such as those that protect against the shingles, diphtheria, and tetanus.
While many serious diseases are no longer common in the United States thanks to vaccines, they still exist and can spread when people aren’t vaccinated.
Every year, thousands of adults in the United States become seriously ill and are hospitalized because of diseases that vaccines can help prevent. Many adults even die from these diseases.
Even if you received the vaccines you needed as a child, the protection from some vaccines can wear off. You may also be at risk for other diseases due to your job, lifestyle, travel, or health conditions. The CDC has a questionnaire on its website, cdc.gov, that can help you decide which immunizations you may want to consider.
By getting vaccinated, you can help protect yourself and your family from serious, sometimes deadly, diseases. The key is talk to your primary care physician about which vaccines could benefit you. The Missouri SMP is here to help you if you think you or a loved one has been the victim of Medicare fraud or abuse. Call us at 1-888-515-6565.
This project was supported, in part, by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $662,347 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of , nor an endorsement by, ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.