As enrollments open up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, consumer advocates are warning people to use caution when picking a plan.
“Whenever there is a new government program or benefit, fraudsters will look for ways to take advantage of it to by tricking people into giving them money or personal information,” said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection at Consumer Federation of America.
People who already have insurance do not need to sign up, get a new card or make any other changes, according to the consumer group. Consumers should also be aware that there is no application fee for enrolling in an insurance plan through the new health care marketplaces, and that there is no rush for eligible consumers to act.
Scammers have been reportedly contacting people, offering to help them sign up for the health insurance program or pretending to offer insurance plans, according to the CFA. In some cases, these “plans” are worthless medical discount cards.
“We want to make sure that consumers get the real facts about how the new law works, know how to find legitimate help if they need it, and avoid being misled by scammers,” said Grant.
More information is available at www.consumerfed.org.