by Camalot Todd, Nevada Current
Open enrollment for health insurance starts and ends during the holiday season, and during these bustling times are scammers trying to take advantage of people shopping for insurance.
“They’re taking advantage during open enrollment because we’re doing a lot of advertisement,” said Silver State Health Insurance Exchange spokesperson Katie Charleson in an interview.
Scammers will often disguise themselves as insurance brokers or providers — which can lead to financial loss or identity theft if Nevadans provide them with confidential information.
Several websites for insurance plans that aren’t skimpy or fail to meet the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements will pay search optimization ads to be placed higher on webpage search results than Nevada Health Link. Those sites can be misleading for the public, but because they do offer health care it technically isn’t illegal.
NevadaHealthLink.com tips on how Nevadans can avoid scams include:
Look at website domains: NevadaHealthLink.com is the official and only website selling Affordable Care Act Plans (ACA) in Nevada. Consumers should watch out for domains similar that are designed to throw them off like “nvhealthcare.org,” “obamacare-registration.org,” and Obamacare-enroll.org” which are not ACA plans. Never give out personal information: Nevada Health Link will never make unsolicited calls to Nevada consumers. Don’t pay for enrollment help: All Nevadans shopping on the health exchange get free enrollment assistance. Ask what’s covered: All plans on Nevada Health Link are required to include the 10 essential health benefits required by ACA. Many non-ACA plans may offer low-cost monthly premiums, but the coverage might be very limited. Nevada Health Link is the only place where customers are eligible for federal subsidies that lower premiums. Never pay in cash, and keep a paper trail.
Open enrollment in Nevada started on Nov. 1 and ends on Jan.15, 2024. If you are a victim of a scam or misleading plans, contact Nevada Health Link or the Nevada Department of Insurance.
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