BEWARE of Scammers claiming they are from Healthcare.gov!!
It truly saddens me to have to even make this announcement, primarily to my personal health clients, but this may affect anyone currently participating in a marketplace plan via Healthcare.gov.
Here’s the bottom-line, be very cautious of any out-of-the-blue call claiming that they are from HC.gov looking to “change your plan,” or truly any other claim they may have.
Thus far, a handful of my clients have become victims of this malicious fraud. And it creates a real mess that no one wants to deal with. Their goal is to gather just enough information from you, generally with enticements of $0.00 premiums per month that at first thought, is quite enticing. But it is an absolute fraud! Most recently, I had a client who was victimized, their HC.gov application had considerable misinformation, such as completely wrong income, as well as not all family members included in their application. The scammers’ goal is to set you up on a $0.00 plan, so that it takes no “Initial Payment” on your part to effectuate the policy. This way, the “newly switched” policy goes into effect without you even being aware. More importantly, you will likely have actual fraudulent information on your HC.gov application unbeknownst to you. Often times, these matters are not resolved until the following year at tax time. Yes, you could potentially owe back subsidies that were not actually available to you and your household.
Keep in mind, Open Enrollment was closed as of January 15th, 2025. So, for the most part, you do not have a QLE-Qualifying Life Event which allows you to make any “plan changes” to your existing policy. So, if they are offering to make a “change to your plan” and ask nothing of a QLE, then it’s likely a fraudulent call.
Also, HC.gov requires a “consent form” that needs to be agreed upon prior to any submission or changes to your HC.gov application. It seems that in most cases, these required steps are being skipped. Sadly, it only takes a “full name” and a “date of birth” to access your HC.gov application. So be very careful in providing this info to anyone that called you out of the blue! Of course, trusting who you may have on the other end of the line becomes of utmost concern.
End conclusion: Call Kevin G. whenever there is even an ounce of doubt. In a matter of a few minutes, I think we can determine if the call was actually legitimate. As always, I am here to assist in any way that I can.
This is a new addition to the “What the Health?” newsletter that I will try to keep brief and to the point. Hopefully, this may help shed a little light on a somewhat complex health insurance world.
You’ve got Q’s, I hope I have your answer! Always feel free to call Kevin most anytime. Text or call 985-778-0072.