Consumers Should Shop Wisely When Seeking Health Insurance

8/3/2010

Some recent news events have served as a reminder to consumers about the importance of properly checking up on a health insurance plan and the company that offers it before making such an important investment.

A recent USA Today report noted that insurance regulators in a growing number of states have been forced to crack down on scams where consumers are misled about health coverage they think they are buying, or simply end up not being paid at all when they file a claim.

The newspaper quoted Montana Insurance Commissioner Monica Lindeen as saying that consumers should check with their state insurance office to be sure a given company and the product it offers is actually registered.

The Federal Trade Commission offers consumers some additional advice on shopping for the right health insurance plan. For example, consumers need to be wary of unscrupulous marketers that try to pass medical discount plans off as insurance plans. In some cases, not even the discounts in such plans are legitimate.

Also, consumers are warned that some pitches for health insurance are simply efforts by con artists to steal personal information that can be used for identity theft.

ShareThis