The Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) is concerned about potentially misleading marketing by unlicensed companies, scammers, or those selling limited-benefit health plans.

 

If you’re looking for health insurance from major insurance companies you recognize, visit Maryland Health Connection. When applying for coverage or signing up for Medicaid, make sure you are on the official website: marylandhealthconnection.gov​ (note the “.gov” domain).  Be cautious – fake sites may have similar names.  Always double-check the website domain for the “.gov” ending.

You have the right to ask to see a photo ID and State of Maryland certification from anyone helping you with Maryland Health Connection. All services through Maryland Health Connection are free and available at marylandhealthconnection.gov/find-help. If someone asks for payment or advertises a fee to help you enroll, report it immediately to the Maryland Health Connection Compliance Hotline at 410-547-6862 or visit their website to learn more​.

If you get an unexpected call about health insurance, it’s safest to hang up right away. If you choose to speak with the caller, ask for their name and callback number, then contact the MIA at 800-492-6116 to verify that they are licensed to sell health insurance in Maryland.

There are several types of health insurance available from companies in Maryland that are NOT major medical plans. These are called Excepted Benefit plans and have limited benefits. Excepted Benefit plans are not obligated to cover the health benefits required for major medical plans under the Affordable Care Act. 

To find out more about these plans:

Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSMs) are faith-based, nonprofit organizations whose members agree to make contributions to help pay all or some portion of certain health care expenses of fellow members, through voluntary contributions. HCSMs that meet certain requirements are not considered health insurance, and members are not guaranteed that any part of their own health care expenses will be paid by fellow members. 

Similar in design to HCSMs, other entities may offer healthcare expense reimbursement arrangements, but without a faith-based component. For more information, read our consumer advisory on CrowdHealth​. These entities are not the same thing as insurance and do not have the same protections under state law. 

In addition to our concerns about Excepted Benefit and health care sharing plans, the MIA has identified several entities offering unauthorized health insurance plans in Maryland. Recent complaints involve people posing as insurance agents or brokers and offering Marylanders health coverage that makes them “limited partners” or “part owners” in the company selling the plan. In many cases, people buying the plans thought that they had contacted the official Maryland Health Connection. 

In most cases, it is illegal to sell an unauthorized insurance policy in the State of Maryland. Unlicensed companies may offer policies with low premiums that appear to provide extensive health care coverage, but in reality offer you limited or no coverage. The groups may not pay your claims, and the Maryland Insurance Administration may have limited authority to force them to do so.  For more information on unauthorized health insurance plans, ​watch this video:

If you have any questions or concerns, the Health Coverage Assistance Team (H-CAT) can assist you. H-CAT can help you: