It was last year at this time that I got a sales call from a company promising to sign me up for a great health insurance plan for a low premium, and it turned out to be a scam.  Protect yourself, and watch for the telltale signs!

When the phone rang that day, I answered it because the caller ID showed an area code that seemed local and trustworthy.  When the caller asked if I was looking for a new health insurance plan and I said yes because, well....I WAS.

He asked for info about my health insurance needs and I shared some of those, and he came up with a plan that had a lower premium than I had seen anywhere on the web in any of those little plan calculators.  And the deductible was lower than I expected.  And the co-pays for doctor visits were exactly what I had been looking for.  Too good to be true?  Yup.

I started getting a funny feeling the more we talked and I backed off a little and put up a guard.  That's when the guy got a whole lot more aggressive.  He kept pushing for an answer that minute, and said the offer wouldn't last much longer.  Weird, right?  I've never heard of a health quote expiring in a day or two.  I finally convinced him to let me think about it and asked him to call me the next day.  I never heard from him again.

The point is, watch out during this open enrollment period.  It can get nutty.  My phone started ringing right away on Wednesday, November 1, when the open enrollment period started, and the emails started shooting through too with offers to sign me up.  It can be a little overwhelming to sort through.

Is it best to look for our own plans online?  I think so.  Or pick a company and call them directly, initiating the process.  If only the doc's office knew what we went through to get one of those fancy little insurance coverage cards!  Geesh.  Good luck.  And don't let those scammers make you ill in the process.

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