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Dealing with Fraud and Discrimination Regarding Florida Health Insurance

Insurance Discrimination Against Victims of Abuse

Florida law prevents insurance companies from discriminating against victims of domestic violence or abuse. If you are denied insurance, if your rates are raised, or if the insurer refuses to pay a claim, demand in writing that the insurer explain in writing why it took this action. If you believe you have been discriminated against, call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800 500-1119 or the Battered Women's Justice Project at 1-800-903-0111. You can also file a complaint through the DFS Consumer Helpline toll-free at 1 877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236), or go to the Department's Web site at www.MyFloridaCFO.com.

Seniors: Need Help With Your Insurance Questions?

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs has developed a program to help seniors with their Medicare and health insurance questions. SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) trains senior volunteers to assist other seniors with their questions about Medicare, Medicare supplement, long-term care and other health insurance issues. The Florida Department of Financial Services serves as SHINE's technical advisor and recommends the program to consumers. To find out if a SHINE program operates in your community, please contact the Elder Helpline toll-free at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337) or the Florida Department of Elder Affairs at (850) 414-2000.

Insurance Fraud Costs us All!

Insurance fraud costs each Florida family an additional $1,500 per year in increased premiums. In fact, it can inflate your premiums by as much as 30 percent, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This includes the money you pay for life, auto, health, homeowners and other types of insurance. You can protect your personal and family pocketbook by learning about the many different types of insurance scams. Some common examples include:

Fictional visit - A health care provider bills the federal Medicare program for unnecessary, unauthorized or ictional visits to a patient's home.

Rogue agent commits "stacking" - An insurance agent commits "stacking" by deliberately selling unnecessary health insurance to a consumer that duplicates existing coverage.

Applicant fraud - An applicant deliberately withholds information about a pre-existing condition in hopes of obtaining health insurance.

Unauthorized referral - A laboratory bills a health insurer for a patient's tests using information stolen from a referring physician. Actually, the physician has never seen the patient.

Deceptive billing - A senior sells insurance information to a health care provider, who bills Medicare for services never rendered. In some cases, such providers bill for as many as 800 phony services for one senior in a three-month period.

Many other types of insurance fraud exist. If you suspect such a crime has occurred, call the DFS Fraud Hotline toll-free at 1-800-378-0445.

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