Don't let scammers take advantage of health insurance uncertainty

Republicans aren’t likely to be able to carry through with their promise to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, and a proposal to simply repeal the Affordable Care Act has even less chance, according to the Sunday news shows.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, warned that his party will lose its Senate majority if it doesn’t pass health care legislation, both he and President Trump chided the GOP for failing to carry through on a major campaign promise.

Den. John McCain said the time is ripe for Republicans to come up with a new proposal that some Democrats can support — a good idea that should have been the focus all along.

While we all wait to see what will happen with our health insurance, we need to be wary of those who would attempt to cash in on our confusion — and there never seems to be a shortage of those people.

The latest example is a group of scam artists based in Florida who are posing as Blue Cross and Blue Schield of Nebraska, according to the Nebraska Attorney General’s office.

They are using fake Google and Manta listings bearing Blue Cross’s logo and web address, along with bogus physical addresses in Omaha.

Investigators from the real Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska believe the scam is affiliated with an entity called Simple Health based in Hollywood, Florida.

When called, they collect personal information and offer insurance plans well below market value.

Victims say they then charge their credit card monthly but never provide insurance cards or proof of coverage. They also make it difficult to cancel service.

Officials warn consumers to be wary of calling any telephone number than the one available on BCBSNE’s official web page in order to purchase insurance.

Anyone who may have been victimized by this scam is urged to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, (800) 727-6432.