Connecticut Regulators Fine Company, Producer For Improper Plan Sales

By Staff Reports

Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais announced that a settlement has been reached between the Connecticut Insurance Department, Michael Scheinman, a state licensed insurance producer, and Accu-Health Insurance Advisors, LLC, to settle an investigation into selling a medical discount plan as an insurance product.

Scheinman and Accu-Health both agreed to pay a $3,500 fine, and to voluntarily surrender their Connecticut insurance licenses to have the investigation dismissed. They also agreed to pay a portion of Connecticut plan members unpaid medical claims and report to the department their payments for denied claims and reimbursed member premiums over the next six months.

Scheinman and Accu-Health were investigated for having sold Unified Caring Association (UCA) membership medical discount plans to Connecticut residents by representing them as traditional health insurance plans.

“Consumers need protection from these practices as we are seeing more and more entities in the marketplace misleading consumers and trying to avoid insurance regulation,” said Commissioner Mais. “It is important for consumers to be cautious when they purchase health coverage and to reach out to the Department with questions or concerns. The Department is always willing to verify licensing. Protecting Connecticut consumers is the Department’s main focus.”

Connecticut resident Fay Abrahamsson bought a membership and after incurring significant debt from several unpaid claims, she contacted the Insurance Department to investigate.

“I bought a Unified Caring Association Multi Plan PPO policy through Michael Scheinman and his company Accu-Health Insurance Advisors, which turned out to be bogus. The ‘two routine preventative care checks a year at no cost,’ ‘one free annual eye exam,’ and ‘generic drugs at $1 - $10’ quotes were all false,” said Abrahamsson. “I incurred more than $2,400 in medical bills from doctors’ visits thinking I had ‘normal’ health insurance. I actually had no coverage and had to pay the invoices in full. What I purchased through Accu-Health Advisors was a sham.”

“I want to thank Associate Insurance Examiner Richard Reid and everyone at the Connecticut Insurance Department for their continued and long-term investigation into this fraud,” Abrahamsson said.