Some websites are masquerading as the official site for people to sign up for health insurance on the state exchange, Washington’s attorney general has warned.
By posing as Washington Healthplanfinder, these bogus sites are gathering personal information from people, such as social security numbers or birth dates.
“Some websites are tricking Washingtonians to get their personal information. Others provide services, but charge for things that should be free,” according to an alert from Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office.
The only website for comparing insurance plans and signing up for coverage is wahealthplanfinder.org. Any site with a variation on the name or with an address that ends in “.net” or “.com” is not the state’s official marketplace.
Consumers who use fake or unofficial websites won’t get insurance policies with guaranteed benefits, complete information about insurance options, or subsidies, Ferguson said.
The open-enrollment period for people who buy their own insurance runs through Dec. 15.
Anyone who has questions about the website – or about health insurance in general – should call Washington Healthplanfinder at 1-855-923-4633. To report a website posing as the health benefit exchange, file a complaint with the attorney general’s office at www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint, or call 1-800-551-4636.
