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Protect yourself from Marketplace fraud & scams

When you apply for health coverage through the Marketplace, you can protect yourself from fraud by following a few simple guidelines.
Warning:
Say no to scams
Don’t share your personal information or give money to anyone saying you have to pay them to keep Medicaid or CHIP coverage or apply for Marketplace coverage. The Marketplace, assister organizations, and your state will never threaten you or anyone in your household or ask for your credit card information or payment to keep or qualify for health coverage.
Report it if someone calls, emails, or texts you asking for:
  • Your personal information (like your Social Security Number)
  • Money (like credit card payment, gift cards, cash, prepaid debit card, or cryptocurrency)
  • Or, if they threaten you or anyone in your household with legal action
Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Also contact your local police department. 

Understand your health care choices

  • Learn the basics about getting health coverage. Our website, HealthCare.gov, is the official Marketplace website. Look for official government seals, logos, or web addresses (which end in “.gov”) on materials in print or online. Compare insurance plans carefully before making your decision. If you have questions, contact the Marketplace Call Center.
  • Know the Marketplace Open Enrollment dates. No one can enroll you in a health plan in the Marketplace until Open Enrollment begins or after it ends unless you qualify for a
    due to a
    or your income is below a certain amount.

Protect your private health care and financial information

Never give your:
  • Financial information, like your banking, credit card, account numbers, or Social Security Number to someone who calls, emails, texts, or comes to your home uninvited, even if they say they are from the Marketplace. 
  • Personal health information, like your medical history or specific treatments you’ve gotten, to anyone who asks you for it. (If you apply for certain Marketplace exemptions, you may be asked for medical documentation.)
Notice:
Marketplace may contact you
You may get a phone call from the Marketplace to confirm or ask for more information. Sometimes, we may contact you to help you get Marketplace coverage if you lost other coverage, like Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
We’ll never ask you for payment to apply for or keep coverage.

If you get a call from the Marketplace

You may get a phone call from the Marketplace asking you to confirm or provide more information. If we don’t have this information, we 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:
  • If you’re asked to provide additional documents, it’s safest to upload documents through your Marketplace account. Get details on how to upload documents.

Ask questions and verify the answers you get 

The Marketplace has trained assisters in every state to help you for free. You’ll never be asked to pay for services or help to apply for Marketplace, Medicaid, or CHIP coverage. Find a free, trained local assister.
There are several types of official assister organizations. They might be called “Navigators,” “Enrollment Assisters,” or “Certified Application Counselors,” and they all work with the Marketplace to provide free, fair, impartial, and accurate information to you and your household.
Assisters are trained by the Marketplace to give you information about your health coverage options, answer your questions, and help you enroll in a Marketplace plan, Medicaid, or CHIP. Assisters will:
  • Never ask you for your credit card number or any other form of payment
    • Their services to help you get health coverage are free of charge
    • When you enroll in a health plan, you’ll always pay your premiums directly to the insurance company – never to the Marketplace or its assisters
  • Always provide a Privacy Notice Statement, and get your consent or “authorization” before discussing or accessing your personal information
When talking to an assister:
  • Ask questions if any information is unclear.
  • Write down and keep a record of the name of a salesperson or anyone who may assist you, who they work for, telephone number, street address, mailing address, email address, and website.
  • Double check any information that is confusing or doesn’t sound right. Verify information on our website or contact the Marketplace Call Center.

Protect your account more with security codes

When you create a Marketplace account, you can protect your account even more by getting a unique security code each time you log in. This makes it harder for someone to get into your account, if they get your password.
  • Security codes are randomly created and sent to you. No one sees the code before it’s sent to you.
  • You can pick ways to get security codes – text message, email, or phone call. You can even choose to get codes in more than one way.
    • Text messages and phone calls are sent by 1-888-486-3063.
    • Emails are sent by accounts​@​healthcare.gov.
  • If you set up more than one way to get codes, we’ll ask you where we should send the code each time you log in. You’ll be able to pick what works best for you at that time.
We can’t respond to replies to security codes. If you need help setting up security codes or logging into your account, contact the Marketplace Call Center.
Never share your Marketplace account password or security code with anyone, even if they say they are from the Marketplace. We’ll never ask you for your password or security code.

When to report suspected fraud

Take action if:
  • Someone other than the insurance company you’ve chosen contacts you about health insurance and asks you to pay – or asks for your financial or personal health information.
  • Someone you don’t know contacts you about getting health insurance and asks you to pay – or asks you for your personal financial or health information.
  • Someone contacts you and claims to be from the government, your state, Marketplace, Medicaid, CHIP, or Medicare – and asks you to pay or send them gift cards to get or keep coverage.
  • You give your personal health, bank account, or credit card information to someone who calls you and says they’re from the government.

How to report suspected fraud or scams

Take action if:
  • Someone calls, emails, or texts you asking for your information (like your Social Security Number) or for money (like credit card payment, gift cards, cash, prepaid debit card, or cryptocurrency) or if they threaten you or anyone in your household with legal action.
  • You suspect identity theft, or feel like you gave your personal information to someone you shouldn’t have.
Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. You should also contact your local police department. You can also contact the Marketplace Call Center. Explain what happened, and we’ll take the appropriate next steps to protect your information.

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