If I could tell people one thing before open enrollment, it wouldn't be about plans or premiums. It would be this: be careful where you type your name and phone number online. One quick "get a free quote" form is all it takes to make your phone ring nonstop.
Why The Calls Start
Many websites that offer free health insurance quotes or plan comparisons aren't insurance companies at all. They're lead generation sites. Their business is collecting your information and passing it along, and your name, phone number, email and sometimes your age or ZIP code can end up with many different agencies and call centers. Each one then reaches out, often within minutes, and some keep calling for weeks.
This gets worse right before and during open enrollment, because that's when people are searching for coverage and everyone wants to reach them first.
Signs A Site Might Be Selling Your Info
It asks for your phone number before showing you anything. If a site wants your contact info up front just to show "plans," be careful.
The fine print says you agree to be contacted by "partners." Check the small text near the submit button. Wording about sharing with partners, affiliates or "marketing partners" is a red flag.
It doesn't say who is actually behind it. A real advisor or agency tells you who they are and where they're licensed. A vague site with no name usually isn't one.
It looks official but isn't. Some sites use flags, government-style colors or names that sound like the Marketplace. If you're not sure, go straight to HealthCare.gov instead.
How To Protect Yourself
Start with the official Marketplace at HealthCare.gov, or work directly with a licensed advisor you've chosen yourself. Reach out to them, rather than filling out a form that sends your info somewhere you can't see. Read the fine print before you hit submit, and don't enter your phone number on a site you don't know.
If you've already started getting calls, don't share personal details with a caller you didn't contact, and never give out your Social Security number or payment info to an unexpected call. It's fine to hang up. You can also block the numbers, and if a call claims to be from a company you do business with, hang up and call the number on your card or official website instead.
What Working With A Licensed Advisor Looks Like Instead
When you contact an advisor directly, you know exactly who has your information and why. There's no hidden list. You get a real person who compares your options and answers your questions, and it doesn't cost you anything extra.
The short version: before you type your phone number into a website, find out who's on the other side of it. Your info is worth money to some of these sites, and you're the one who ends up answering the calls.
Rather skip the spam and talk to a real person?
Reach out to me directly. It's free to work with me, and your info stays with me.
Get A Quote