Scam artists hawk fake insurance policies, prey on seniors

McClatchy News Service/The Miami Herald: "[S]cam artists are working overtime. They're hawking fake insurance policies by preying on the fears and confusion that surround" the new health overhaul law, according to consumer advocates. "For the record, there is no government health insurance program called ObamaCare, and federal employees aren't out selling it door to door or by telephone. Healthcare fraud experts say if you hear that kind of pitch, shut the door, hang up the phone, then call your state insurance department or Better Business Bureau." Among the most popular targets are older people and fraud experts say it is because they are "generally more polite and would listen to a salesperson. They're also less likely to report being scammed, out of embarrassment or fear that their independence might be taken away" (Goldstein, 4/20).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.