WARNING: Scammers Offering Fake Health Insurance Exchanges bit.ly/17b0fLN According to a CNBC article, experts are warning consumers that their money and sensitive personal information (like bank info and social security number) are being stolen by scammers and “warn that the problem will worsen as we get closer to Oct. 1…” when health insurance exchanges open in many states.” Health Insurance Exchanges open October 01, 2013 “The Affordable Care Act created a Health Insurance Marketplace, also referred to as the Health Insurance Exchange. Policies in the exchange have been preapproved by each state’s insurance commissioner. ‘There are fake exchanges already up and running on the Internet,” said Monica Lindeen, Montana’s Commissioner of Securities and Insurance. “If you do a search and type in ‘exchange,’ you’ll find all sorts of websites that claim to be in the exchange when they are not.” Since the states’ “health insurance exchanges don’t open for business until Oct. 1…no one can (legally) sell you insurance through an exchange until then. Scam artists got an early jump on national health care reform. Since last year, they’ve been calling, faxing and emailing people across the country claiming to be with Medicare, Obamacare or some agency of the federal government. They often say they need to ‘verify’ some personal information (typically a bank account or Social Security number) to ensure you get the proper benefits. In some cases, fraudsters tell victims they need to buy an insurance card to be eligible for coverage under the new program. ‘Such calls can be especially intimidating to seniors,’ said John Breyault, who runs Fraud.org , a project of National Consumers League. ‘We’ve heard about cases where the scam artists have threatened people with jail if they don’t purchase the fake insurance cards,’ Breyault said.” Health Insurance Scammers on the Rise “A con artist can claim to be anyone, for instance a ‘navigator’ who can help you apply for coverage through an exchange. They gain your trust and then ask for personal information to buy nonexistent policies. Fraud.org reports that some victims have been persuaded to wire money or send funds via prepaid debit card to get their full benefits. Thousands of legitimate navigators are being trained and certified to guide people through the process of applying for coverage through an exchange. These navigators are prohibited from recommending a particular plan. They will never ask for personal information or for money in any form. The navigator program hasn’t started yet, so no one is making calls. You can’t sign up yet, but you learn about your choices at HealthCare.gov, the site run by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. You also want to start your search here if you live in one of the places (17 states, District of Columbia, Guam or American Samoa), that set up its own exchange. Customer service representatives are available at 1 (800) 318-2596.” If you are in California, the exchange in this state is Covered California. You can also find them on facebook. Health Insurance Exchange Tips “These tips, provided by consumer groups and government, will help you spot a fraud: —There is no card associated with health care reform. —There is no new Medicare card, and you do not have to update any personal information. —The Health Insurance Marketplace (those exchanges) doesn’t open until Oct. 1, so you can’t buy coverage under the Affordable Care Act until then. —Don’t respond to a cold call of any kind, especially one that asks for personal information or money. And don’t trust caller ID, which can be rigged to make it look as if the call is coming from a government office. —Don’t let anyone rush you. The rates in the exchange have been preapproved and won’t change during the initial enrollment period, Oct. 1 to March 31. Anyone promising a ‘special price’ or ‘limited time offer’ or who tells you ‘spots are limited’ is lying.” The FTC’s Lois Greisman urges you to file a complaint if you spot a problem, get a suspicious call or fall victim to a health care insurance con artist.” Do you have a health insurance scam story to tell? Please do so in the comments section below, or on our facebook page. If you need help navigating the health insurance marketplace to be sure you are affordably covered, please complete the form below and one of our experts will be in touch right away! Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net bit.ly/eA8V8J
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 15:46:23 +0000
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