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During open season for the Health Insurance Marketplace, you might have seen an increase — maybe a flood — of ads for health plans. The ads might promise comprehensive health insurance…but the plan turns out to have limited benefits. Or it’s a medical discount card and not insurance at all. Some ads might promise rewards or rebates to anyone who signs up for a plan. Or they might say they’re from the government – or government-endorsed, hoping to gain your trust. How to make heads or tails of it all?

In this flood of advertising, your life raft is the official source for the type of insurance you’re after:

Now, if you’ve wondered if those ads are legit, you’re not alone. In fact, the FTC just sent out letters to marketers and businesses that promote health insurance plans and products. Why? To remind companies about the laws they need to follow when they market health plans. For the rest of us, these letters are a good reminder to watch for potentially scammy ads and avoid so-called health plans that don’t give the coverage we thought we were getting.

The letters also give the reminder that it’s illegal for companies to robocall you with prerecorded messages that market you for health insurance. So, if someone DOES call you this way, you KNOW they’re either a scammer or, at the very least, someone you might not want to do business with. Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov so staff can investigate.

Topics
Health
Unwanted Calls
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