View this article online: https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southeast/2007/05/14/79659.htm
A Georgia insurance agent forged the signatures of residents of a facility that treats people with developmental disabilities or traumatic brain injuries so she could obtain Medicare Advantage policies in their names and pocket the commissions, authorities said.
An arrest warrant was issued for Mary Helen Gray, 52, of Snellville, Ga. on May 10 charging her with 10 counts of insurance fraud and forgery, Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine said last week as police continued to try to locate her.
Gray is accused of signing up 10 residents of Annandale Village in Suwanee for Medicare Advantage policies without their knowledge or consent. When she did that, the victims’ traditional Medicare policies were canceled, resulting in medical bills going unpaid, Oxendine said.
Oxendine estimated that Gray made $4,000 on commissions on the forged policies. The insurer, Universal Health Insurance Company, subsequently revoked the commissions and canceled the 10 policies. Universal is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reinstate all the residents’ prior coverage, including prescription drug coverage.
Oxendine said Gray visited the facility last year to do an educational presentation on changes to Medicare Part D, which is the Medicare prescription drug plan.
Through their legal guardians, she sold some patients a legitimate product at that time. She then allegedly forged her clients’ signatures on Medicare Advantage Part C policies, Oxendine said.