Open Enrollment Scams: How to Check Insurance Ads

As enrollment season brings people back to insurance comparisons, the FTC is flagging a familiar problem: paid search results that imitate government services. The agency says these scams increase around Medicare and Marketplace enrollment.

A government-style logo or similar web address does not make a site official. The FTC says misleading ads can direct people toward products that are not health insurance or expose their information to misuse.

For Medicare, start at Medicare.gov. For Marketplace coverage, start at HealthCare.gov. The FTC recommends checking for sponsored-result labels and the government website address instead of assuming a prominent placement means official approval.

HealthCare.gov’s current calendar says applications for 2027 Marketplace coverage open November 1. Its deadline for January 1 coverage is December 15, with the first premium also needing to be paid. Enrollment through January 15 generally leads to February 1 coverage when the premium is paid. These are the federal Marketplace’s listed dates; readers using a state marketplace should check that marketplace’s own schedule. Separate routes can remain available outside ordinary enrollment, including qualifying life events, Medicaid and CHIP eligibility. Knowing the applicable calendar helps a shopper assess a caller’s claim that a particular offer must be accepted immediately.

The alert points Medicare users toward State Health Insurance Assistance Programs and Senior Medicare Patrol. Marketplace shoppers can use HealthCare.gov’s local-help service. Compare the coverage and costs through those channels before responding to an unsolicited sales pitch.