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       #Post#: 4373--------------------------------------------------
       Surprise health plan switches
   DIR By: agate
       Date: April 7, 2024, 2:03 am
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       From MedPage Today's "investigative Roundup" (April 3, 2024):
       --- Quote ---
       >
       > Surprise Health Plan Switches
       > Some patients with health coverage through the Affordable Care
       Act (ACA) are finding out that someone else has switched their
       health plan -- without their permission or knowledge, according
       to KFF Health News.
       >
       > This "unauthorized enrollment or plan-switching" is rampant in
       some parts of the U.S., the report found. The new plans might
       not offer the same coverage, which means that patients can show
       up for appointments or procedures only to find out the care
       isn't covered or that they'll have to pay more.
       >
       > Agents told KFF that Texas, Georgia, and Florida are
       "switching hotbeds," and states that have their own marketplace
       are more successful because state ACA markets often require more
       information. But otherwise, rogue agents only need a person's
       name, date of birth, and state to access a person's health
       coverage.
       >
       > Take for instance Florida resident Michael Debriae, who
       canceled his ACA plan when he got insurance through a new job. A
       broker in Florida signed him up for another plan without his
       knowledge, and Debriae may be on the hook for the $2,445 in tax
       credits paid to the insurer on his behalf, according to the
       report.
       > Adam Bercowicz, a licensed independent broker in Fort
       Lauderdale, Florida, told KFF that he has literally watched his
       dashboard of clients and seen some being switched to different
       plans in real-time. He's lost 300 to 400 clients this way.
       > "If I saw one of my clients was stolen from me at, let's say,
       11:57 p.m., I put myself back on," Bercowicz said. "And by 11:58
       -- a minute later -- they were already switched back."
       >
       > As of last June, brokers are supposed to be required to record
       policyholders' consent before making changes, but that's rarely
       enforced, experts told KFF and NPR.
       >
       > A CMS representative didn't answer KFF's specific questions,
       such as if protection like two-factor authentication would be
       added to the site.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
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