By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Dead Consumers Still Getting Social Security Checks
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Dead Consumers Still Getting Social Security Checks
Business

Dead Consumers Still Getting Social Security Checks

BarbaraDuck
BarbaraDuck
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Wait a minute, this is the most relied upon data base in the US that everyone uses, right?  Well when you look at it though we still have clerical input errors and some part of the data chain that may not flow together correctly, but we are getting better with transparency in data.  The audit came up with 6000 folks that need to be identified and when you look at Social Security as a whole and how many collect, that’s not a big percentage and some were noted going back to the 90s.  By contrast though, paying health insurance on dead employees is to me much worse and someone w

Wait a minute, this is the most relied upon data base in the US that everyone uses, right?  Well when you look at it though we still have clerical input errors and some part of the data chain that may not flow together correctly, but we are getting better with transparency in data.  The audit came up with 6000 folks that need to be identified and when you look at Social Security as a whole and how many collect, that’s not a big percentage and some were noted going back to the 90s.  By contrast though, paying health insurance on dead employees is to me much worse and someone was asleep at the wheel.  Didn’t anybody who worked with these folks look for them?  Obviously it was the paper and/or data trail here with an HR department who stressed out in their own words and as I understand it, they have to take the insurers who collected premium payments (no medical claims here free and bottom line profit) to court. 

City of Buffalo Has Paid Over $2 Million to Provide Health Insurance for Hundreds of Dead People-Some as Many as 4 Years

Probe finds dead doctors used in Medicare scams

Then of course we have all these online doctor referral sites who have their share of dead doctors, retired doctors and just flat out flawed information out there too.

More Read

Patient Safety Toolkits from AHRQ
Surgeons and truck drivers may soon have something in common
Kaiser: Medicare Reform Ideas
Strategic Planning: Find Your Core Values
Doctors Going Broke–You Can’t Even Give a Practice Away
Dead Doctors and Inaccurate MD Listings On the Web Can Be a Real Hunting Ground of Information to Mine For Crooks Relative to Fraudulent Medical Billing

Again, if it came down to 6000 individuals, that’s not a bad percentage at all for all the claims they handle on their old, but still steady as a rock COBOL data system.  BD

Pundits and policymakers love to brawl over who should be receiving Social Security benefits–but it’s hard to imagine any of them vying for deceased Aunt Edna.

According to a Social Security Inspector General report, $40.3 million in social security benefits have been paid to the dead since 2008. Typically, family members or funeral homes are supposed to notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) that a person has died, at which point the information is put in the SSA’s Death Master File. However, people sometimes fail to report this information and even when they do—the SSA continues to make erroneous payments.

The report finds that the SSA has made payments to more than 6,000 beneficiaries for months or even years after receiving notice that the person has died. The IG estimates that about 1,760 of these people are actually dead—the rest of the entries are mistakes. According to the IG, these erroneous death entries can also lead to “severe financial hardship and distress to affected individuals.”

 

TAGGED:dead consumerssocial security
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

concierge medicine and obamacare physician shortages
BusinessNews

Concierge Medicine Will Get Massive Boost from Obamacare

December 22, 2012

Online Bill Pay Starts to Accelerate in Healthcare

March 22, 2015
medical billing
BusinessFinanceHospital Administration

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Medical Billing

September 11, 2014
mobile app regulation
BusinesseHealthMedical InnovationsMobile HealthPolicy & LawTechnology

Five Tips for Folding FDA’s New Medical App Oversight into Your Business Strategy

March 31, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?