INDIANAPOLIS -- If you’re looking for health insurance, keep an eye out for scammers.
Criminals are targeting patients with open enrollment scams, that appear to come from Medicare agents or even private insurance companies.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, anyone that tries to sell you Medicare insurance while claiming to be an “official Medicare agent” is a scammer.
“There are no Medicare sales representatives,” said Andrew Johnson, Consumer Education Specialist with the FTC.
If you’re looking for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, only shop for coverage at HealthCare.gov.
“People who try to sign you up elsewhere may be scammers,” said Johnson.
And if you are buying private insurance, make sure you’re really getting insurance.
“There are many medical discount plans that pretend to be insurance, but they are not,” said Johnson.
The Indiana Department of Insurance can tell you if a plan is insurance or not and whether the seller is licensed in Indiana.
As always, do not give any information over the phone to someone who tells you that you must provide information to keep your coverage.
Ignore anyone who calls saying you must join their prescription plan or you will lose your Medicare coverage, said Johnson.
You can report insurance frauds and scams to the Indiana Department of Insurance here or the FTC.
If the scam is Medicare related, report it at Medicare.gov.
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