Page 14 September 6, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Precious Pooches
shed much) and a full natural tail that wags
constantly. I get along great with other dogs
and love to play.”
If you’re interested in Brady, please email
info@msfr.org for more information.
“Hi there! My name is Snickers and, if I
were to guess, I would say I was named that
because of my brown and brindle coloring.
When I was found wandering the streets,
my owner was contacted but never returned
the calls or even tried to find me. I’m a
6-year-old, 28-pound male Terrier mix who
would rather be a “couch potato” than play
with toys. However, I do enjoy a good walk
in the mornings and evenings. I’m a pretty
social guy who gets along well with other
dogs, cats and especially people. The lady
that cares for me thinks I’m pretty smart
because I am easily adjusting to crate training
and housebreaking. Not quite there, but I’m
working on it! Since I am not the least bit
destructive, once I’m completely housebroken,
Brady Snickers
Dale
We are looking for volunteers to help with
our pet adoption fairs which are held every
Saturday at the Petco located at 537 N.
Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo Beach 90277,
from noon to 3:30 p.m. If you are interested
in volunteering and can commit to at least
one Saturday a month, please contact us at
info@msfr.org. You can also visit all of our
Miniature Schnauzers & Friends rescues at
the adoption fair or check out our website,
www.msfr.org. If you have any questions
about a particular dog’s availability, you can
email us at info@msfr.org. Schnauzers! Bet
you can’t adopt just one.
“They call me Brady, which is of Scottish-
Gaelic origin and defines as ‘spirited.’ And
that I am. I’m a 1-year-old, male Border
Terrier mix – well, that’s what we think I
am. My face looks a wee bit like a Mini
Wheaten Terrier…but at 11 pounds, I’m far
too small for that breed. So the most popular
guess is that I am a Border Terrier mix. One
afternoon, I ventured out on my own to try
and expand my social life and ended up losing
my way home. That’s how I became a
resident at an LA County shelter as a stray.
At first I wasn’t too worried because I had
an adopter and another interested party as a
back-up. When both of them failed to appear,
then I got worried. Thankfully the MSFR
folks decided to rescue me – they said I was
just too cute to leave behind. In addition to
a sweet, expressive face with big dark eyes,
I have a very soft fur coat (which doesn’t
I’ll be fine with total access to the house. To
top it off, I’m a great watchdog – I bark at
strangers when they come to the door, so I’ll
be able to keep you safe.”
If you’re interested in Snickers, please contact
Deborah at dlarvine@gmail.com.
“My name is Dale and I’m still waiting for
my forever home. My brother Chip has found
his, so I guess mine is just around the corner.
Speaking of corners, that is how I ended up
at an LA County shelter. Being an adventurous
guy, I wanted to do some investigating
in our neighborhood. That adventure started
out fine, but then I got turned around and
couldn’t find my way home. The next thing
I knew, both of us were in an LA County
shelter and being called strays. I’ve been told
that I’m a Miniature Schnauzer mix, but no
one can figure out what the mix is. With my
natural tail and beautiful salt and pepper coat, I
look just like any other extremely handsome
1-year-old, 18-pound, male Miniature
Schnauzer. I admit that I need some work
on obedience training as well as a little
Housebreaking 101 but I’m pretty confident
that I’ll exceed at both in no time. I get along
great with dogs and am a pretty playful guy.
While I would have been ecstatic to have
been adopted with my brother…that was not
to be. That said, I must find a home that has
a doggie pal to keep me company and show
me the ropes.”
If you’re interested in Dale, please email
info@msfr.org for more information.
Medicare Cards from front page
- Don’t make any payments to receive or
activate your Medicare card.
- If you receive a suspicious call, hang up
and call 1-800-MEDICARE for any questions
about your benefits status.
Medical identity theft occurs when someone
steals or uses your personal information,
says the Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Services. Obtaining an insured person’s
name, Social Security or Medicare number
allows thieves to submit fraudulent claims to
Medicare and other health insurers.
“Medical identity theft can disrupt
your medical care, and wastes taxpayer
dollars,” the federal health insurer for
older Americans says on its website.
Medicare will mail new identification cards
to its 55 million beneficiaries, the federal
government said.
The new Medicare ID cards have only one
purpose: to help prevent identity theft. The
number on the current Medicare ID card is
the person’s Social Security number. This is
used too by the Social Security Administration,
healthcare providers and health plans.
“In the hands of an unscrupulous person, a
Social Security number can open the door to
all kinds of mischief and misuse,” explains an
article on the website Next Avenue. Retired
PBS news anchor Bill Moyers is behind the
Next Avenue site, which addresses health,
financial and social issues affecting Americans
55 and older.
The CMS is replacing the old Medicare
numbers - a do-over for seniors and recipients
who’ve been targeted before by identify
thieves. “Once bitten, twice shy”” is the
warning coming from the area’s top cop
and government officials trying to manage
Medicare costs and premiums by limiting
fraud in the system.
The new cards will be distributed to Medicare
beneficiaries and to people who are
eligible for Medicare through the Railroad
Retirement Board’s pension plans. There
is one important exception: People who
are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan
(like an HMO or PPO) will continue to use
the plan’s ID card as their main card for
Medicare. Those cards already have a unique
ID number that is not the Social Security
number. Also, Medicare prescription drug
plans will continue to assign and use their
own cards.
Each new number will have 11 digits and
will be assigned randomly. The new numbers
are “non-intelligent,” which means that they
don’t have any hidden or special meaning.
They will be a combination of single-digit
numbers and upper-case (capital) letters. All
the letters of the alphabet will be used, except
S, L, O, I, B and Z, to make the combination
easier to read -- if not to remember.
The new cards will be printed on regularweight
paper and will be a little smaller than
the old ones -- about the size of a credit
card. Another change: the new cards do not
indicate gender.
A 2015 report prepared for the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated
that $60 billion of American taxpayer money,
or more than 10 percent of Medicare’s total
budget, was lost to fraud, waste, abuse and
improper payments four years ago.
An attempt by someone to steal your
identify isn’t always obvious, so officials
offer some defensive tactics that seniors and
healthcare consumers can take so they don’t
become victims.
They start with the advice to just walk
away if someone approaches you in parking
lots, shopping centers or other public
areas and offers you free services, groceries,
transportation or other items in exchange for
your Medicare number.
When the phone rings, simply hang up if
someone calls you claiming to be conducting
a health survey and asks for your Medicare
number.
Under no circumstances should you give
information to telephone marketers who
pretend to be from Medicare or Social Security
and ask for payment over the phone
or Internet. They may want to steal your
money. The Los Angeles County District
Attorney publishes regular announcements
about fraud schemes and tips for holding
onto your money and identify.
You can learn more at http://da.lacounty.
gov/community/fraud-alerts. •