Beware of Phony Insurance

Money 2000 and Beyond No one plans on becoming sick, but illnesses and accidents happen. To make matters worse, health insurance premiums continue to rise, which is leading to more and more people being taken advantage of in health insurance scams - most of whom are self employed and small business owners. This group, along with those without health insurance, is the most at risk to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous health insurance fraudsters.

In the past few years, many people have been taken advantage of by health insurance scams, unknowingly. They make the required premium payments, and after a few bills are paid, many are not. This leaves the supposed insured left to foot the bill, which may reach the thousands of dollars.

Although many states have begun cracking down on perpetrators of health insurance scams, many still exist. The scammers use slick brochures and official sounding names that often sound like other visible and respectable financial services companies. Local media campaigns are also used to pitch their wares to real professional groups or sell memberships to fake ones in order to get your business. Here are a few things to watch out for when selecting health insurance:

·    Research the companies you are interested in at various websites such as www.consumerreports.org or www.weissratings.com to see if an insurance company is listed and how well they are doing financially. You can also check your local library's reference section to find other books that rate insurance companies.

·    If you cannot get a job that provides health insurance as a benefit, compare the policies and pricing of at least three different insurance companies. Premiums vary widely in the insurance industry. Also, get recommendations from friends or family members on companies they use.

·    If a regular premium is too expensive for your family, consider getting major medical coverage at a minimum to protect against the high costs of needed medical care in an emergency.

·    In dealing with an unknown health insurer, remember the old adage, "If it is too good to be true, it probably is." However, don't be alarmed in getting a quote from a carrier you have not heard of before. Many of these are legitimate health insurance companies in which you may have to do a little more research.

If you cannot afford the health insurance premiums, consider looking into some of the programs offered by the state of New Jersey such as NJ Kid Care or Medicaid. With today's high cost of medical care, nobody should be left without health insurance.

  1. Rutgers
  2. Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  3. School of Environmental and Biological Sciences