Beware of scams during open enrollment for insurance

The New York attorney general is warning New Yorkers to beware of health insurance scams during open enrollment for insurance plans through New York's Affordable Care Act marketplace. Government agencies will never threaten, demand payment or ask for credit information in a text message, email or phone call. Some red flags to watch out for include:

Fear and threats: Scammers often use fear by threatening New Yorkers that their Medicaid or other health coverage is at risk of cancellation, or that they have already lost their Medicaid or other health coverage unless they provide hundreds of dollars to reinstate or continue benefits.

False generosity: To trick people into providing personal information, phishing scams may offer gift cards or money to "update" health accounts to avoid losing coverage. The New York agencies that administer Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and Essential Plan benefits will not offer rewards to renew coverage.

"Obamacare": The New York agencies that administer Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and Essential Plan benefits will never use the term "Obamacare."

Requests for money: Scammers may ask for money to enroll people in marketplace insurance. No one can ever charge a fee to renew health insurance in Medicaid, Child Health Plus, or the Essential Plan, and the NY agencies that administer these plans will never ask for money to enroll or re-enroll.

If enrolled in health insurance through the NY State of Health, many people are available to help you renew for free. For information or guidance, visit nystateofhealth.ny.gov/ or call 1-855-355-5777. The phone line is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

If enrolled in Medicaid through your county's Medicaid office, there are also many people available to help for free. Contact the office where you enrolled to ask questions and get help with renewing insurance – see health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/ldss.htm for more information.

Many websites will try to make residents think that they are the official New York state health insurance marketplace. There is only one official NY State of Health website: nystateofhealth.ny.gov/. Submitting contact information to some websites may lead to calls, texts or emails from scammers. Any New Yorker who suspects they are a victim of a scam should report it to the office of the attorney general by submitting a complaint online at formsnym.ag.ny.gov/OAGOnlineSubmissionForm/faces/OAGHCHome or calling 1-800-771-7755.