A common scam involves an out-of-state insurance agent calling a customer to offer coverage, only to have another agent call later with better offerings. Chaney says that allows both agents to get a commission, and that’s illegal.
Detailed information on how to stay safe during open enrollment is available on the Mississippi Insurance Department's website.
He said the most reliable insurance agents are going to be in-state, have a license to work in Mississippi and will work with consumers to find a policy that best suits their needs. Chaney said, “We’ve also got a place where you can find everybody that sells Medicare in the State of Mississippi. The companies and the agents with their phone numbers on our website. So we call that a very special book to help people out. Especially people my age, and people over 65 years of age.”
Earlier this year, federal subsidies ended for ACA plans and roughly 200,000 Mississippians chose to unenroll.
Chaney said he is hopeful that some of those uninsured people can find new coverage this fall.
“So we went from 338,000 to about 125,000, and that’s about the number that are still paying or signed up right now before the end of the year,” said Chaney. “The issue for us is that those people need healthcare and if they go to emergency rooms or the local hospital, it costs $1,000 every time someone walks into the emergency room.”
Open enrollment for Medicare runs through December 7. Changes to ACA and Marketplace plans modified before December 15th will go into effect at the start of the new year. Any changes made between then and January 15th will start in February.
