Officials Warn of Potential Fraud Around Affordable Care Act

Wyoming Insurance Commissioner Tom Hirsig and Wyoming Attorney General Peter Michael are advising Wyoming consumers to be cautious regarding potential fraud resulting from misunderstandings of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Hirsig says one component of the ACA is the creation of health insurance marketplaces where consumers can compare health plans, get lower costs based on income, and enroll in health plans. Hirsig says Healthcare.gov is the only official website where Wyoming consumers can access the Marketplace. He says look-alike sites may divert consumers from the only true website: healthcare.gov.

He adds consumers should never be asked to pay for services for help in enrolling in Marketplace coverage. The Marketplace has trained assisters called Navigators that help with enrollment at no cost to consumers. Navigators and other government personnel will never cold-call consumers and tell them they need to enroll. Wyoming Navigators can be reached by calling 2-1-1 or by visiting wyoming211.org.

Hirsig says scammers may target Medicare beneficiaries and tell them that they must enroll in a new health plan. Medicare beneficiaries do not need to enroll in a new health plan. He says Medicare satisfies the individual mandate.