Stay Vigilant During Open Enrollment

With open enrollment starting soon, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with policy options. Scammers use this opportunity to take advantage of information overload in order to rip off unsuspecting consumers. Especially for individuals new to Medicare, it can be difficult to sort out legitimate offers from frauds.

Picking a healthcare policy is inherently confusing, with a lot on the line. And since this process involves the transfer of sensitive and personal information, and eventually money, scammers may not stick out as much. The federal government has taken notice, with HHS claiming to save billions of dollars of public funds in anti-fraud efforts ahead of open enrollment.

Scammers may pay for high-ranking visibility in search results, stealing clicks when shoppers look for healthcare plans. Criminals may also reach out to potential victims via SMS, email, phone calls, snail mail, or social media, soliciting “enrollments” for their bogus schemes. As with other scam attempts, pushy behavior typically distinguishes the frauds from legitimate vendors. The target may be pressured or threatened to act quickly, urging victims to hand over personal information or cash quickly. Criminals depend on this sense of urgency to get victims to act before verifying who they’re dealing with. Outreach may claim that if a consumer doesn’t act now, they may lose coverage.

As you navigate open enrollment, keep the following tips in mind:

• Get a second opinion if something seems off. Enrolling in health insurance is rarelya process that needs to be completed immediately. Take a second to ask someone you trust if an offer seems legit or not.
• Medicare operates from a .gov website. Legitimate federal sites for healthcare plans include Medicare.gov and HealthCare.gov.
• Legitimate plan offers won’t pressure or threaten you to act immediately. Open enrollment lasts several weeks, with clearly defined beginning and cutoff dates.

If you believe you have encountered Medicare fraud, you can report the incident to the federal government via the Department of Health and Human Services. You can also report scams to Fraud.org. Your report helps Fraud.org alert the public and share critical information with consumer protection agencies and law enforcement partners.