On October 29, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission said its staff were sending warning letters to 25 companies that market health plans or sell sales leads, cautioning them against misleading claims about coverage, costs and enrollment rewards. The letters don't accuse any company of wrongdoing, and the agency didn't name the recipients.
Key facts: The FTC flagged four kinds of claims: misstating a plan's benefits or limits, calling something comprehensive health insurance when it isn't, misstating costs, and promising cash rewards or other perks that don't exist. · The letters cover ACA Marketplace plans and other products, including limited indemnity plans and medical discount programs. The FTC says more letters may follow. · ACA open enrollment runs November 1, 2026, through January 15, 2027, in most states. Enroll by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1.
This week, with health insurance open enrollment barely a few days old, the federal government sent some of the people selling it a letter that reads a lot like a note from the principal's office. On October 29, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission announced (as summarized by TCPA.com) that its staff were sending warning letters to 25 companies that market health plans or generate sales leads for them. Trade outlets including Fierce Healthcare (November 2) and Healthcare Finance News (November 3) reported on the letters as enrollment got underway.
If you've noticed more health insurance ads, calls and texts lately, here's what regulators flagged and how to check an offer yourself.
What the FTC Flagged
According to the coverage of the FTC's announcement, the letters went to companies advertising ACA Marketplace coverage and other health products, including limited indemnity plans and medical discount programs. The FTC listed four kinds of claims that may break the law:
- Misstating what a plan covers or what its limits are.
- Presenting a plan as major or comprehensive medical insurance when it isn't.
- Misstating what a plan costs.
- Falsely promising free offers, cash rewards, rebates or other incentives for enrolling.
Healthcare Finance News reported that the letter also covered rules on prerecorded sales calls and calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, and warned against pretending to be a government agency or an insurer, or claiming a connection that doesn't exist.
Two points matter for keeping this in proportion. The FTC said the letters do not allege wrongdoing by any recipient, and it didn't name the 25 companies. A warning letter isn't a lawsuit, a finding or a fine. The agency said it will keep monitoring the market and may send more letters.
Why This Is Happening Now
Timing explains a lot. HealthCare.gov's open enrollment window for 2027 coverage opened November 1 and runs through January 15 in most states. Medicare's annual enrollment period also runs through December 7, as Fierce Healthcare noted. That makes late fall the busiest season for health plan advertising.
It's also not the first round of letters. Healthcare Finance News reported that the FTC sent similar warnings to 21 companies in December 2024.
Separately, the agency that runs the federal Marketplace has been tightening its own rules. In September, Healthcare Finance News reported that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) canceled about 315,000 federal Marketplace enrollments, covering more than 760,000 people, after determining they were unauthorized. CMS expects to recover about $2.2 billion in subsidy payments tied to them. The same report cited a Government Accountability Office review that found confirmed complaints about unauthorized enrollments and plan switches grew from 66,548 in 2023 to 299,604 in 2025. A trade group for agents and brokers raised concerns that some of the new CMS restrictions could limit consumers' access to licensed help.
The Fine Print: "Health plan" doesn't always mean health insurance. A fixed or limited indemnity policy pays a set dollar amount for an event, such as a day in the hospital, no matter what the bill actually comes to. According to Montana's insurance commissioner, these policies are "excepted benefits" that aren't subject to some federal consumer protections, including the ACA's rules on annual and lifetime dollar limits and its preventive services requirement. They can be a supplement, but they work differently from a major medical plan, which is exactly the kind of difference the FTC told marketers not to blur.
What This Means for You
This is general education, not advice, and none of it means any particular ad you've seen is misleading. HealthCare.gov's fraud protection page gives some practical checks:
- Start from an official source. HealthCare.gov is the official federal Marketplace, and government web addresses end in ".gov." Some states run their own Marketplace sites.
- Be careful with social media ads that offer cash or gifts for signing up. HealthCare.gov warns the information you share could be used without your consent.
- Nobody should charge you to apply. The Marketplace, its certified assisters and your state won't ask for payment or threaten you to keep or qualify for coverage. You pay premiums directly to the insurance company.
- Know what a real Marketplace call looks like. HealthCare.gov says its calls come from 1-855-997-1890 or 844-477-7500, and the caller gives a first name and agent ID. If you're unsure, hang up and call the Marketplace yourself.
- Free help is available. The Marketplace Call Center is 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325), 24 hours a day except holidays.
- Report anything suspicious to the FTC and the Marketplace Call Center, as HealthCare.gov recommends.
The dates to know: enroll by December 15 for coverage starting January 1, or by January 15 for coverage starting February 1, per HealthCare.gov.
Got an ad or an offer you can't make sense of? Send us your question, and we may explain it in a future article.
This article is general education, not legal, insurance or financial advice. It reports what regulators and news outlets have published and doesn't evaluate any company or plan. Check official sources for your own situation.
Sources:
- TCPA.com: FTC Sends Warning Letters to 25 Healthcare Plan Marketers and Lead Generators During Open Enrollment (Oct. 30, 2026), summarizing the FTC's Oct. 29 announcement
- Fierce Healthcare: FTC issues warning letters over deceptive marketing as ACA enrollment opens (Nov. 2, 2026)
- Healthcare Finance News: FTC warns health plan marketers against making false claims (Nov. 3, 2026)
- Healthcare Finance News: CMS targets unauthorized marketplace enrollments, seeks $2.2B (Sept. 24, 2026)
- HealthCare.gov: Protect yourself from Marketplace fraud & scams
- HealthCare.gov: Dates and deadlines
- HealthCare.gov: Contact us
- Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance: Advisory memorandum on fixed-indemnity coverage (Aug. 2, 2024)
Frequently asked questions
Did the FTC say these companies broke the law?
No. According to the reports on the announcement, the FTC said the letters do not allege wrongdoing by any recipient, and it did not publish the companies' names.
Where can I check whether a health plan offer is real?
HealthCare.gov is the official Marketplace site in states that use it, and its call center at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325) offers free help 24 hours a day, except holidays. Some states run their own Marketplace sites.
