Tag: deceptive marketing

The Perfect Storm: Misleading Marketing of Limited Benefit Products Continues as Millions Losing Medicaid Search for New Coverage

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A massive coverage transition is underway for millions of people who have relied on Medicaid throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. After a three-year pause, states have begun disenrolling residents from Medicaid, leaving millions of people in need of new coverage. A secret shopper study conducted in June 2023 suggests that people losing Medicaid are facing aggressive marketing of limited benefit products.

The Feds Crack Down on Sham Insurance: New Court Order to Protect Consumers from Deceptive Marketing

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Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against Benefytt Technologies, finding the company relied on deceptive websites, high-pressure sales tactics, and misleading information to push consumers into enrolling in junk plans, and then made it difficult for consumers to cancel their coverage. CHIR’s prior research on the marketing of junk plans shows that these tactics are neither new nor unique.

Response to Deceptive Marketing of Limited Plans Shows States Can Take Proactive Steps to Protect Consumers

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Last month the Texas Department of Insurance issued a consent order dissolving Texas-based Triada Assurance Holdings, operating under the name Salvasen Health, which marketed and sold their fixed indemnity plans to 65,000 consumers nationwide, advertising their products as comprehensive coverage. CHIR’s Madeline O’Brien looks at is Salvasen’s deceptive practices and state responses to mitigate harm to consumers.

Misleading Marketing of Non-ACA Health Plans Continued During COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period

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Millions of Americans are eligible for health insurance plans with low or no premiums and significantly reduced cost-sharing this coming open enrollment, but misleading marketing practices may direct some consumers to alternative plans that lack the Affordable Care Act’s protections. Researchers at CHIR recently replicated a previous secret shopper study to determine if consumers shopping for comprehensive coverage during the COVID-19 special enrollment period were still being directed to these alternative plans.

Limited Plans with Minimal Coverage Are Being Sold as Primary Coverage, Leaving Consumers at Risk

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People shopping for health insurance online are often directed to websites using misleading or deceptive practices to steer them to products that are not compliant with the Affordable Care Act, such as fixed indemnity policies. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR’s Dania Palanker and Kevin Lucia discuss the marketing of limited plans as a primary form of coverage and the risks these products pose to consumers. 

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the individual blog post authors and do not represent the views of Georgetown University, the Center on Health Insurance Reforms, any organization that the author is affiliated with, or the opinions of any other author who publishes on this blog.