Stopping The Scam Artists

It’s unfortunate, but sadly predictable, that the recent passage of health reform legislation would be seen as an opportunity by those who prey on the most vulnerable in our society.

Good for HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for shining a bright light on, in her words “scam artists and criminals (who) may be using the passage of these historic reforms as an opportunity to confuse and defraud the public.”

Secretary Sebelius was referring to fly-by-night outfits that are setting up toll-free phone numbers and going door-to-door to sell fraudulent health insurance policies.  Their sales pitch?  That Congress established a limited enrollment window for people to buy government-subsidized health coverage.

The fact, of course, is that the new health insurance exchanges called for in the legislation, which will include subsidies for low-income Americans to help purchase coverage, don’t actually go into effect until 2014.  These quick-buck artists, though, are seeking to take advantage of the fact that many Americans don’t know the details and timetables of health reform.

We know from experience, having been closely involved in the implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program through our Medicare Today initiative, that any new health program can bring many questions, uncertainty and confusion.  A measure the scope and magnitude of health reform will multiply those concerns.  Public education is going to be an essential component of health reform implementation.

Secretary Sebelius is doing the right thing in laying the ground work for this public education effort by cracking down on those who would maliciously spread misinformation for ill-gotten gains.