By M.P. MCQUEEN
Small employers and individuals searching for affordable health insurance increasingly are falling victim to scams and misleading offers.
More than 200,000 businesses and individuals in the U.S. have purchased phony insurance since the decade began, and victims have been left with hundreds of millions in unpaid medical claims, according to Mila Kofman, an associate professor at Georgetown University who has studied the issue.
The bogus insurers collect premiums, but they don't pay claims.
Targeting Seniors
In the newest twist, telemarketers are selling fake Medicare prescription-drug plans and Medicare Advantage policies to seniors, says Kim Holland, insurance commissioner of Oklahoma. Some fraudulent telemarketers are also using the calls as a pretext to glean confidential information for identity theft, she says.
Read more...Labels: Kim Holland
Posted at 11/19/2007 08:00:00 AM
