Misleading Ads Play Key Role in Schemes to Gin Up Unauthorized ACA Sign-Ups, Lawsuit Alleges
By Julie Appleby
Misleading money-for-groceries ads helped lure people to call centers where some were enrolled in Affordable Care Act coverage — or switched from their existing plans — without their express permission, a new lawsuit alleges.
HealthSherpa and Insurers Team Up To Curb Unauthorized ACA Enrollment Schemes
By Julie Appleby
The initiative targets the biggest incentive driving fraudulent sign-ups and plan switches: the commissions that rogue agents or large call centers seek.
Thousands of Children Got Tested for Lead With Faulty Devices: What Parents Should Know
By Julie Appleby
Faulty lead test kits made by Magellan Diagnostics may have been used as late as 2021 to test children for exposure to the toxic metal. The company agreed to pay $42 million to settle criminal charges that it concealed malfunctions.
A miles de niños les hicieron pruebas de plomo con dispositivos defectuosos: qué deben saber los padres
By Julie Appleby
Es el último capítulo de una larga saga que involucra a Magellan Diagnostics, con sede en Massachusetts, que pagará $42 millones en multas, según el Departamento de Justicia.
How Primary Care Is Being Disrupted: A Video Primer
By Julie Appleby and Hannah Norman and Oona Zenda
Under pressure from increased demand, consolidation, and changing patient expectations, the model of care no longer means visiting the same doctor for decades.
Exclusive: Senator Urges Biden Administration To Thwart Fraudulent ACA Enrollments
By Julie Appleby
With tens of thousands of Americans already affected by enrollment scams that leave some without doctors or treatments, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wants increased enforcement against rogue agents or other perpetrators and legislation to allow for criminal penalties.
Biden Team’s Tightrope: Reining In Rogue Obamacare Agents Without Slowing Enrollment
By Julie Appleby
Federal regulators face a growing challenge — how to prevent rogue health insurance agents from switching unknowing consumers’ Obamacare coverage without making the enrollment process so cumbersome that enrollment declines.
Lawsuit Alleges Obamacare Plan-Switching Scheme Targeted Low-Income Consumers
By Julie Appleby
The lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that large call centers were used to enroll people into Affordable Care Act plans or to switch their coverage, all without their permission.
When Rogue Brokers Switch People’s ACA Policies, Tax Surprises Can Follow
By Julie Appleby
Some tax filers’ returns are being rejected because they failed to provide information about Affordable Care Act coverage they didn’t even know they had.
After Public Push, CMS Curbs Health Insurance Agents’ Access to Consumer SSNs
By Julie Appleby
Days after publication of a KFF Health News article about Obamacare enrollees being switched to different plans without their knowledge or consent, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services took steps to tighten insurance agents’ access to private consumer information on the federal marketplace.
