Beware of Obamacare Scams

Beware of Illegitimate Obamacare Sales

At Sun Health & Dental, we consider our clients as part of our extended family, and it is with genuine concern for your well-being that we bring to your attention a matter of utmost importance regarding Obamacare sales. In recent times, there has been a surge in illegal Obamacare sales, where unsuspecting individuals are being sold products that may not be the best options for their unique situations. We understand the significance of healthcare decisions and the impact they have on your life. Therefore, it is crucial to be vigilant and informed.

Do You Qualify for Obamacare?

In very simple terms:

You may be legally in the US awaiting your immigration court date, but do not yet have a work permit. If you do not have a work permit you do not qualify for Obamacare. Every person that qualifies for Obamacare subsidies needs to file Federal Income taxes; there are no exceptions to this rule. If you are receiving Obamacare benefits that you are not legally entitled to and are not eligible for, you will be putting your immigrant status in jeopardy and may be subject to immediate deportation for receiving funds used to purchase healthcare coverage. 

Did you authorize the agent to process your enrollment? 

Every legitimate Obamacare sale should involve the client's explicit signed authorization. According to federal law every agent is required to get signed permission to gather information used to process enrollments, there are no exceptions to this rule.

Enrolling in a plan with a sales agent that did not ask you for any written or digital authorization is usually a red flag. Prior to receiving any quotes on coverage, agents are required to receive your authorization. Make sure if you are shopping for coverage in the Marketplace that you only speak to licensed agents that take all precautionary measures to protect you, and always place their clients interest first. 

Is your taxable annual income being accurately reported? 

Beware of agents who are not entering your taxable annual income correctly or are  recommending that you under-report income to get more subsidy money. Under-reporting income will lower the cost of the monthly payment of the Obamacare insurance but it will affect your end of year taxes: as you will be charged a penalty for underreporting income. This will cost you thousands of dollars in penalties. 

Beware of Unlicensed Agents and Call Centers

If you receive a call from an unknown number trying to sell you Marketplace coverage, do not provide them with your personal information. You should only be sharing personal information with known and verified agents. Numerous unlicensed foreign-based call centers usually based in Colombia are illegally calling individuals and identifying themselves as calling from the Marketplace or from an Obamacare enrollment center. These individuals are not licensed or authorized by the Florida department of Insurance or CMS, the government agency responsible for managing Obamacare services. These illegal operations are collecting personal information to process enrollments on a future date. The call centers gather this information and will sell your enrollment information for personal gain. These operations pose a significant threat to your privacy and security. Many, if not all, of these call centers will process your enrollment and not enter your correct contact information so that you never receive emails or calls from legitimate government offices that may have questions regarding your enrollment.  If anyone is reaching out to you in an effort to sell you health coverage, verify whether they are indeed a licensed and authorized sales agent or agency.  We are providing you with a link to verify the agent and or agency information below.  

Use the link  to verify your agents status:   https://licenseesearch.fldfs.com/

Incentivized Sales Practices

Many insurance agents operate on commission-based incentives, which may compromise the integrity of the advice you receive when selecting a plan. Instead of prioritizing what is best for you, some agents may push plans based on the commissions they stand to earn. More importantly these agents may not be authorized to sell all marketplace products and services and will place you in the plans they will receive commissions from. This may result in potentially placing clients in plans with exorbitant deductibles and up to 50% coinsurance for emergency room and hospital visits.

If you get a call from the Marketplace

The Marketplace will typically only call you in order to confirm or provide any missing information. Without this information, they may not be able to process your application. 

• Calls come from 1-855-997-1890 or 844-477-7500. Caller ID may also show as Health Insurance MP or InsMarketplace.
• The Marketplace representative will say they’re calling from the Marketplace and provide a first name and agent ID number. Write them down.
• If you’re not sure the call is from Marketplace or you don’t want to provide information over the phone:

• You can hang up and contact the Marketplace Call Center directly for help over the phone.
• Ask the representative to mail you a letter with instructions.

• If you’re asked to provide additional documents, it’s safest to upload documents through your Marketplace account.

https://www.healthcare.gov/protect-from-fraud-and-scams/

We are here to help

We have put together a list of trustworthy sources from government websites where you can confirm your eligibility and learn more information:

• https://www.healthcare.gov/quick-guide/eligibility/
• https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/immigration-status/
• https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/documentation/
• https://www.healthcare.gov/protect-from-fraud-and-scams/

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At Sun Health & Dental, we believe in transparency, integrity, and ensuring that you receive the best possible healthcare options. If you do not qualify for coverage under Obamacare, Sun Health & Dental is here to provide you with affordable coverage with full price transparency.

 If you have any concerns or questions about your health coverage enrollment, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at (866) 786-1200.

Your family at Sun Health & Dental